


Dust-Eaters: A Case For Heroism

by BlackRazorBill



Series: Dust-Eaters AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Crossover, Death is a possibility within the setting, F/M, Gen, Illustrated, Origins, Our Monsters Are Different, Our Vampire Are Different, Plagg is different, Tikki isn't a kwami, and can be read without knowing anything about Miraculous Ladybug, not really spoilery for Undertale, plus some gifs in the notes, tags will be added as the story progresses, undertale is more background
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2019-12-18 04:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 34
Words: 124,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18242591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackRazorBill/pseuds/BlackRazorBill
Summary: Six Thousand years ago, the Great War shaped this monstrous world. A world where Marinette wishes she could just be a normal girl with a normal life.After the demise of a close relative, and an encounter with a strange cat being, she is put in a position which could get her closer to that wish coming true... and also much further away from it.Choices shape a person, and Marinette hopes she is among those who will make the right ones. Whether it costs her in the end or not.





	1. A Damsel's Reward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This crossover AU fic is written in a way that you don't need to know the two source materials to enjoy. Feel free to comment at any time!
> 
> Here's a [gif](http://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/184137971742/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-1) that works as a 'prelude' to this chapter, for those who have tumblr.

“Wow! That was quite a flight, wouldn’t you say? It’s a good thing I always nail my landings!”

He… it? They? Winked - _Winked!_ \- at her. Her heart was still thumping painfully in her chest, and her entire body was shaking as she was held in the stranger’s arms. Her mind was still in the process of catching up with everything that had just transpired, but one thing was certain.

She should not be entranced by those damn green eyes right now.

Marinette shook her head and broke the spell the stranger had unknowingly put on her. She looked around as she gripped his shoulders… _strong_ shoulders. The streets were damp and dark, but there was no sight of the white menace of earlier, nor of that patrol she feared to cross. The night had fallen, and only the stars and the soft glow of the street crystals reflected on her exposed arms.

“…Uh… hey… you feeling okay? It… it didn’t hurt you, did it?”

And exposed, she _was_. He still had not released her.

She presumed it was a ‘he’, anyway. He sounded, and looked like a ‘he’ in her standard. At first, she thought he was a human, which would have cleared things up easily, but she had then seen the black cat ears in his blond mane, and his foggy tail. And the fur around his eyes. His monstrous cat eyes. Bright green like two fireflies. Familiar and unfamiliar.

Monster with a human touch. Or human with a monster touch. She was too shocked and scared to clear things up.

She saw the silver shine on his cheek. A soft powder emanating from an open wound. Dust.

This gave her some answers.

His ears flicked in discomfort under her scrutiny.

“Uh… Look, I… I didn’t mean to scare you if I did, pretty one… miss? Mister?”

“Miss,” she blurted out. Her voice was hoarse. “I mean-I’m fine! Just… I need a minute…”

She pushed on his shoulders to signal him to let her down. The black suit he was wearing felt strange under her fingers. Weird texture. Close to slime plasma, maybe?

For half a second, his grip on her relaxed, but then, his eyes widened and he tightened his hold. She saw his lips curl up and her blood froze.

“Well, you’ll be safer with me, then.” He winked coyly. “Wouldn’t want to let a cute one like you cross a Hunter’s path in the night, now would we?”

“Um…”

She mentally cursed. Not good. How much did he _know_ ? How deep in was he? _Who_ was he? A Hunter playing a trick? Something else?

Her survival mode kicked in. She calmed her breath, pursed her lips, and frowned.

“A hunter? Seems to me the only hunter around is that play-boy monster before me.” She flicked the bell he wore as a collar, giving him a shaky smile. “Sorry, but I have no time for games, kitten.”

The cat monster with a human face blinked and gave her a wide excited smile. A puppy smile, ironically. Not the worse expression she could receive, given her current predicament.

“Aw, you don’t have to hide things like that from me, sweetie! This cat’s not getting his intel from TV, you know? I know what I’m looking at.” He gave her a look-over. “And, might I add, your description don’t do you justice if this is how you all look like. _Purretty stunning_.”

She could not help the eye-roll. He gave out she was the first one he met in person. She could work with that.

“I’m not even going to pretend I understood any of this,” she lied with a sigh. “All I know is that it’s late, I’m cold and I really should head home. So thanks a lot for getting me away from that white creep, I appreciate it, but I have to go.”

“Just say the words and this knight will bring you where you need to be, princess,” the cat beast answered with a smirk, undeterred. “And I would really like an audience with the ‘royal court’ by the same occasion. I feel like there is _much_ to discuss in between us.”

His face was dangerously close. She pushed it away by his nose, surprising both of them with the bold gesture.

“I… I don’t. I think everything’s said and done,” she quipped back, feeling herself sweating at the idea of this strange monster getting remotely close to her family. “Just… let me down, please.”

His smile faltered, but his grip on her stayed firm. She bit her lips and started to struggle.

“Mister cat person…”

“You can call me ‘Chat Noir’.”

… ‘Black Cat’? Was he serious? Marinette shook her head and pushed the thought aside.

“Chat Noir, please.” Her fingers tensed on his shoulders. “Let me go. You’re hurting me.”

“Sorry!” His grip lessened, but not enough to release her. “I…” He gazed into her eyes, his expression pleading. “I need your help. Please.”

She stilled herself, surprised, but wary. He bit his lip, showing his fangs, his ears down.

“I… I’m in a pickle right now… and people like you might be my only way out of it.”

She frowned.

“People like me?”

He looked up into her eyes.

“Dust-eaters.”

He had said it in a whisper, and her first reflex was to deny it. Her second one was to hit him as hard as possible. It was what was recommended. She could crumble him fast. Hopefully faster than he could kill her.

She did neither of these things, and would kick herself for it in a few hours. At the time, his admittedly pretty eyes and the sadness in them were enough to sway her away from her duty. Her eyes caught the silvery glint of his wound again and she formulated her plan. She sagged in defeat.

“Alright. I give. Just… put me down, please. We should discuss this.”

Hope lit his face in a way it only could for monsters. It was endearing, if a bit sad.

“Ah. Of course!”

He awkwardly let go of her and let her feet touch the ground delicately. He looked like a teenager boy trying to find his mark. Marinette guessed he was not far off from one, either. She sighed in relief when the monster freed her. She rubbed her arm before asking her next question.

“What makes you think a dust-eater can help you, Chat Noir?”

“I need to get in contact with one of you,” he answered, his hand scratching his blond hair. “I have a… curse I need to remove, let’s say.”

“A curse?”

“Yes.”

He did not elaborate. Marinette figured he wanted to keep the details for whomever he was trying to get in touch with. Probably the smartest thing the cat monster had done since he had rescued her.

She was almost feeling sorry for him.

“Okay. I owe you this much…” She looked at him and smiled, clasping her hands together. “… and maybe a little more! Not many of your kind would have done what you did to save me!” She gave a shy glance to the side. “Not many would be brave enough to even risk coming so close.”

She saw the blush spread on his cheeks. He looked flustered when she took a step in his direction. He massaged his neck, avoiding her adoring gaze.

“Ah. I mean… It’s… only natural to save damsels in distress. Whatever their species.”

She giggled. Alright. He was a _bit_ cute like that. She turned coy.

“Then I suppose… I should give you the natural gift of the saved damsel in turn?”

She pushed her lips and leaned forward. He tensed under her touch, but did nothing to stop her. She could feel the heat of his magic under his skin.

Perfect.

He did not even notice when she put her lips on his wounded cheek. It was only when she started sucking out the dust from it that he startled. It was a bit too late then. She pushed her newly reformed magic upon him and his voice strangled, his body growing limp. She held him up when his legs gave out under him, taking care of absorbing as much of his magic as possible without a kill.

Memories and sensations flowed through her mind, invading her; taking over. She let herself go for an instant. It was the risk of consuming pure dust. Getting lost into the monster’s magic.

Flashes of a life she never had flickered through. A life of claustrophobic imprisonment. A flash of a smile on a tender feline lips. A hard gaze of a monster bird. A buzzing laughter. Then, feelings that were not hers rushed through. Excitement; fear; despair.

She passed a hand in her prey’s hair and sent out a wave of sympathy through her aura. The only way she knew how to convey an apology without words. His magic was strong. Stronger than any she had ever tasted. Impossibly strong. Un-monster-like.

Something sharp pushed her out.

She released her kiss with a gasp. It was echoed by the cat monster. The monster that should not exist, with such a strong magic. She shakily leaned his body on the side of the street, somewhat hidden by a wooden crate. Hopefully hidden enough.

She kept her eyes on him through the whole process. In spite of his weakened state, he did the same, staring at her with his wide green eyes.

She resisted the urge to dive back down and take more from him. With a gulp and a shaky smile, she stepped back.

“Sorry, kitten, dust-eaters can’t help you with your curse,” she whispered, almost cooing. She still felt a deep connection from consuming his magic. “We have our own curse to deal with, as you can see. We’re the last people you should go to for your problem.” She blew him a kiss. Probably his influence, she was not usually that bold. “Try to survive and stay safe, alright?”

She ran off before waiting for an answer, concentrating the magic she consumed outward. When she saw the black fur covering her arms and her new sets of claws, she sighed in relief. Finally, she had some _cover_ again.

When she was certain her new monster disguise had taken hold, she slowed to a fast walk. She could feel the magic that had reformed into a pair of ears, and her new tail. Furred monsters were an unusual form for her, but eating pure monster dust left little choice in this matter.

The memories she absorbed alongside it would make the form familiar either way. She could feel the dark energy swelling in her body and enveloping her soul in an almost comforting embrace. A set of antennas was tasting the air around her. She was almost curious enough to look at herself, but this would have to wait until she was safely home.

She did not feel like a copy of the cat monster she just assaulted, however, like she _should_ have been. There was too much fur, and not enough human parts. She could feel a muzzle under her clawed fingers. Maybe this was related to the ‘curse’ he was talking about?

A dark figure strolled past another street and she shook her head, resolute to go home before any other crazy thing happened to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Chat Noir" is pronounced "Sha Noir". The 't' is silent.


	2. Ashes and Dust

She only allowed herself to feel safe when she spotted the building shaped like two crossed baguettes supporting a cookie plateau. The bakery’s base was shaped like a burrow, a very typical monster architecture harboring not so typical secrets. All the windows were shut, as per usual at that time of the night. So was the main entry. Marinette rung the backdoor bell and waited, tail wiping the air nervously.

An imposing brown bear peered through the door after a minute, his beady eyes observing her warily.

“Hello? Can I help you?”

Marinette righted herself before reciting words she knew by heart.

“I’m a traveler of the Earth, seeking food for the soul and comfort for the heart.” She accentuated her declaration by gazing intently into the bear’s eyes and silently mouthing a familiar word.

His eyes widened in recognition, and he let her in. They did not speak until the door was shut behind them, and they both crossed the corridor to the living room. Marinette saw the cricket-like monster already inside busy pouring a cup of tea nervously.

After making sure the three of them were alone, Marinette dropped her cat monster appearance. The bear beside her vanished to leave in his place a large human with green eyes and a concerned gaze. The bug monster’s eyes widened and she took a little more time to drop her illusion, revealing a petite black-haired human woman. She rushed to Marinette, embracing her in a tight hug.

“Oh, Marinette!” she cried, “we were so worried! We almost thought…”

“We almost called the Watch, sweetie!” the large man surrounded both smaller humans with his strong arms, his eyes tearing up.

Marinette was close from crying herself as she held them tight.

“I was worried too, Maman, Papa. I…” She gulped. “I’m so sorry!”

“Your form…” Marinette’s mother put a hand on her daughter’s face. “You lost your monster form! Oh, honey, what happened? Did you ran out? Is this why… You should know to always take with you more than necessary!”

She did. Marinette was nothing if not a dutiful daughter. She was always careful with the secrecy. Too many lives depended on it, including those of her family. And as she was rather clumsy, she often made sure to take more of what she needed for the day, just in case. Getting hurt meant accidentally dropping your form or spending too much magic if you were not careful.

She had enough dust in her possession when she went back from school this evening. Secured in her pouch. She had enough for _one_ person.

That had been the issue. Not counting on meeting the scared child in the street, exposed for any Hunters to see.

So, she _may_ have taken a detour from home to lead the kid away from monsters’ eyes. She may have given them her remaining dust to hide. They may have gotten separated when that… white _thing_ surged from the street. A thing unlike any monster she had ever seen; a mass of limbs and heads screaming silently as it entrapped her human form and exposed her soul for all to see.

She could barely articulate how nightmarish the experience had been to her parents, but she did. She told them everything, including how this mysterious black cat monster had come and swooped her away from the white creature’s coil.

Her parents listened to her tale as they were all sitting on the couch. Family was the only thing a human could trust. In this world of monsters and deception, family was the safest haven for humans to be themselves. When she finished telling her encounter with the black cat humanoid, she took a sip of her herbal tea. Her parents exchanged a concerned gaze, then her mother, Sabine, put a hand on her daughter’s wrist.

“That ‘Chat Noir’… did you ‘take care’ of him?”

Marinette’s shoulders sagged and she bit her lips. At her reaction, Sabine softly sighed and massaged her leg.

“Well, what’s done is done.”

“I’m sorry I coul- I didn’t-”

“I know, sweetheart,” her mother cut her off in a reassuring tone. “You were in a terrible situation.”

“But that puts everyone in danger!” Marinette’s hands tightened on her cup. “Mistakes like that is what ki… what…”

“You can’t be put at fault for not acting against your nature, sweetie.” Her father’s hand rubbed her back. “You are untrained in dealing with this sort of things. All that matters now is that you’re okay.”

“But many will _not_ be! Like aunt Brig-”

Marinette’s words got stuck and she swallowed the lump in her throat. Her parents said nothing as she was catching her breath. They only leaned closer to her, letting her seek comfort in their touch.

After a few minutes, her father, Tom, spoke.

“You did what you could, and acted with your heart. You saved that kid, didn’t you? Them getting exposed in the middle of the street would have caused more damage to the masquerade than letting this cat boy live. Dealing with beings like this and the white creature that attacked you is the work of the Watch. I’ll warn them of what you saw.”

Marinette nodded numbly. Sabine frowned slightly, a hand under her chin.

“I’ve heard rumors of those white beings at the last gathering,” she said, “They come from outside of Syrrup. Some think they might be a new weapon developed by Hunters to track renegades dust-eaters. They also spoke of a black cat humanoid monster following those things.”

Marinette looked at Sabine in surprise.

“They’re from out of town?”

Sabine nodded, then gasped and put a hand on her lips as in with realization.

“Maman?”

Sabine took a few breaths to relax, then, looked at her husband and daughter.

“I… just remembered. I heard they came from… Eytoe.”

Eytoe. The town next to Syrrup.

Where Marinette’s aunt used to live. And where she was found.

Brigitte…

Tom’s hand on Marinette’s back stiffened.

“We will have to be more careful until those things leave town. Marinette, from now on, take double-dose of dust with you every time you head out, and I want you to head straight home after school. Is that clear?”

She nodded without protesting. Her eyes straying on her empty mug.

-

Marinette climbed out the stairs to her room some time after her conversation, her legs still feeling numb. In contrast to her soul, which was still bursting with the effect of the pure dust she had taken from the cat monster. Her heartbeats almost hurt as magic was rushing through her body, akin to an unending flow of adrenaline, but at least, the memory visions had subsided to mere noises in her mind.

Eytoe, huh? She really had not expect to hear from it so soon after the funeral.

She shut down the trapdoor to her room and sagged head first on her chaise longue with a whine. Her body was dead tired, but her mind was restless from this development. So, the white creature that almost killed her, and the black cat _she_ almost killed, they were from her aunt’s town as well?

How likely was it that they were linked to Brigitte’s death? Could they? Plenty of beings traveled from town to town without any link to each others.

But two human-seeking creatures having ties to the demise of a human? It was not that illogical to her frazzled mind.. that, or it was the effect of the dust speaking through.

Marinette clenched a pillow under her and let the remaining magic from the cat monster come out, covering her body with a black cloud.

Marinette did not remember Brigitte that well. Her aunt had left the family core when she was still very young. It had still been a shock to learn of her death two weeks ago. Marinette had not even started her new school year, and she had been reminded of the constant danger her kind were living in.

The Watch had not given out much information about her aunt’s death. Only that she was found in her home. They had at least given back her ashes to her family, as well as what they could salvage from her personal belongings for a dusting ceremony.

Marinette had cried. It was strange to cry for someone you barely knew. Maybe she had cried more for the livings than the dead. She knew her mom used to be very close to Brigitte before she left them.

An impression of a smile on a tawny-furred muzzle brought her out of her reflection. She opened her eyes. This was _not_ her memory.

Her tail lashed out. She licked her muzzle.

The effects of the pure dust was still persisting. Marinette did not recall ever going through them, her family always consumed mixed dust. She could not imagine _hiding_ with pure dust. It must be torture for those who did. She barely had a dose from a _living_ monster, and she already felt mildly confused about her identity.

The fact that his magic felt so strong did not help the matter.

With a growl, but determined, Marinette forced herself out of the chaise and walked to her dresser mirror, examining herself. What she saw was a black cat beast, like many she crossed path with before. With glowing eyes, sclera green with a lighter core. and two strange antennas acting as whiskers from the side of her head. Marinette felt their texture, trying to grasp the sensation the construction magic was giving out and save it for later.

It was not a bad look for a monster… but it definitely was _not_ how the humanoid cat to whom she stole the dust from had looked like. Maybe this was his true form. Maybe he had been hiding under an illusion himself when he first appeared. Monsters did not really do that type of magic. But maybe he was an exception.

“Who are you, kitten?” she muttered softly, her voice much more masculine.

After a moment, she sighed and shook her head, repressing the magic once more, leaving her natural form staring back from the mirror. Black twin ponytails, hairless pink skin, grey eyes; everything as it should be.

Papa said he would call the Watch. This situation was not something a thirteen year old girl should be messing with.

‘I need your help’, he had said.

She quickly turned away. She tripped in the same movement. With a yelp, she fell on a box she had left on the floor. She crashed on the ground.

Massaging her injured nose, she sent a weary glare at the filled cardboard box. Her mom had told her to store it until they had time to sort everything in there. Marinette had not bothered.

It was covered with a gray powder.

Biting her lips, Marinette crouched near it and gently opened the folds. She knew what was in there. Books, papers, MTT-brand make-up kits, a few trinkets; only unimportant junks. All covered by a gray powder. Marinette passed a finger on a jewelry box and looked at the dark residue. She felt a vague regret that humans left no dust behind. Otherwise, maybe she could have peeked into her aunt’s last memories with ease. She would have been able to confirm whether her death was linked to what happened to her today, or not. But ashes gave no magic when consumed.

“Be free, auntie,” Marinette recited, her hand on the small jewelry box. “Be happy, just as all shall be.”

Monsters were known to smile bright and wild at their funerals. Marinette could never even lift a lip muscle up on those occasions.

But surface humans could not afford very different cultures from monsters. So the funerals were monster-like. You spread the dust of the deceased on their favorite things, and wished happiness for the livings. All humans required was to trade dust with ashes, and they could mimic it.

Marinette knew monsters themselves rarely got to spread their loved ones’ dust, in reality, but they were blissfully unaware of that detail.

She opened the jewelry box, and saw the earrings inside. Red with five black spots. Shiny and pretty. She had already seen them when her parents went through her aunt’s belongings.

The pattern on it had drawn her interest. For personal reasons.

And right now, it almost felt like they were beckoning her.

It was of bad taste to leave the deceased’s favorite things untouched. Sabine had told Marinette to take what she wished from it.

With very little thoughts, she put on the earrings.

-

Flames are around her. There is muffled screaming. It’s hard to hear through the loud ringing. Her arms are numb. Someone is crying behind her back.

“No. No. No…”

Everything is spinning around her too fast. She does not have time for this. She has to save her project. Where is the vial?

“It can’t be. No. Why, why why why…”

He’s counting on her. So many are. She can’t be distracted. The future of monsters…

“Out. Have to get out…”

Now, if only that voice would stop crying, she could concentrate…

“Marinette…”

That’s not her name.

‘ _Marinette!’_

“ _Gah!”_

_THUMP!_

Ouch.

That hurt.

Massaging her head, Marinette looked around. Her room. Still some time before her alarm, from what she read on her clock. She groaned. It had been a while since she fell off her bed. Annoyed at her rude awakening, her peered down her mezzanine. She could have sworn her mom had just called, but why would she at this ungodly hour?

‘ _I’m the one who called, Marinette!’_

“GWAH!”

She scrambled against the wall, hands gripping the surface and eyes darting in search of the intruder.

“Wh-who’s here? Wh-what do you want?” Her hand groped around and she grabbed her cat-shaped bolster, waving it like a mace as she stood up. “I’m warning you, I-I can hit very hard!”

‘ _Oh, no, no, it’s okay, Marinette! I’m not here to hurt you!’_

“W-why are you here, then?” Marinette snapped in the dark, slowly walking to her lamp as she was looking everywhere. “And how do you know my name? Where are you?”

She reached the switch and lit her room. Through her blinking and squinting, she saw no one. Where were they? _Invisible?_

‘ _You reached out to me, Marinette,’_ the high-pitched voice answered. It sounded feminine. ‘ _You let me in, that’s how I know your name. I’m sorry I scared you. You were having an unpleasant dream, I just wanted you safe.’_

There was something weird about the voice, now that Marinette was awake enough to notice. It felt soundless. Contained. It did not reverb around the room like Marinette’s did. She clutched her cat bolster to her chest.

“… Why would you want me safe? Who are you?”

‘ _I… I’m Tikki. And it’s because Brigitte would want you safe too.’_

Marinette’s shoulders sagged from shock.

“Brigitte?” she repeated. “What do you know about Brigitte?”

‘ _I… I used to be her friend, I think.’_

Marinette frowned.

“You ‘think’?”

‘ _I… Everything is still a bit blurry to me. I’m missing pieces.’_

At the voice’s uncertain tone, Marinette slowly sat on her bed, putting the bolster down, still unable to pinpoint its source. Something to do with Brigitte? Her death? Why _now_? Was this a trick?

‘ _It’s not a trick, Marinette, I promise you.’_

Marinette startled.

“You’re _reading my mind_ !” Was that how the presence knew about Brigitte? Marinette grasped her head. “Aaaah! That’s why you’re invisible! You’re in my _head_! Get out, get out!”

‘ _No, I’m not in your head! I’m just linked to you right now. I’m sorry I peeked at your thoughts! I just wanted to figure out what was going on since I went dormant! I didn’t mean to scare you, I promise I won’t go through your memories again! Just… don’t panic!’_

“Oh nononono,” Marinette muttered, panicking. She stood up and rushed to the stairs. “MOM! DAD!”

‘ _Marinette,_ no _!’_

Her foot stuck to the ground against her will, making her trip. The girl barely caught herself on the ramp, a wave of horror at the realization that she had momentarily _lost control_ of one of her limbs.

Intense fear and guilt passed through her and her breath caught in her throat. Those had not been _her_ emotions. She could almost picture the small red glow of a presence huddled in the corner of her mind.

‘ _I… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have… but you_ can’t _tell your parents about me, Marinette. They will be in danger if you do! I… I didn’t want to put you in danger either. I never wanted to put someone like you through this._ No one _is supposed to know. I just… I don’t have any choice but to reveal myself to you… I need help.’_

The desperation in the being’s voice rang sincere to Marinette, and so did her warning of endangering her parents. She should be telling them. They were the only people she could trust.

… But she knew about secrets made to protect. She could not endanger her parents. She sagged down and sat on a step, clutching the ramp.

“I…” She gulped. “I’m listening.”

There was some hesitation before the voice spoke again.

‘ _I need you to find Chat Noir. I need you to give him the earrings you’re currently wearing.’_

… Chat Noir? The kitten?

… And the earrings? From Brigitte? She made a move toward them.

‘ _Don’t take them off now!’_ the voice warned in fear. Marinette froze as it continued. ‘ _That’s how we’re linked to each other! If you take them off, I won’t be able to communicate anymore.’_

“Communicate…” Marinette repeated. “You do it through the earrings? A-are you… are you _inside_ the earrings?”

‘ _In a sense, I am,’_ the presence confirmed. ‘ _I’ve awoken when you put them on yesterday.’_

Marinette pursed her lips. And auntie Brigitte had those earrings?

“… What are you?”

‘ _I… I’m Tikki…’_

“That doesn’t answer what you are.”

‘ _I… I know. And I’m sorry. I can’t answer that. All I know is that I respond to ‘Tikki’.’_

“People don’t usually live inside earrings.”

‘ _I know.’_

Marinette sighed, releasing the ramp and bringing her trembling hands closer together. She did not like getting upset like that. She felt like a bully. But still, the situation was surreal.

“… Brigitte had you. In her belongings. The earrings _belonged_ to her.”

‘ _Yes. Brigitte and I used to be friends.’_

Marinette caught sadness in Tikki’s tone.

“Since when did auntie Brigitte had friends who live inside earrings?” she asked softly.

‘ _I’m sorry, Marinette. I can’t remember. So many things are a blur to me. The things I can remember the most are what I’ve learned through your own memories. I didn’t even know Brigitte was…’_

Marinette gulped. Tikki knew about the funeral from her mind. She must know she met this ‘Chat Noir’ through this method as well then.

“What about Chat Noir? Did… did Brigitte knew _him_ too?”

‘ _They were very close, yes. This is why you need to take me to him.’_

“Why would she be close to this ‘Chat Noir’? Was he not linked to those weird white monsters that attack people?”

And Brigitte and Chat Noir _both_ came from Eytoe. So did the white menaces. This was too much. Why would that random thought of her be true? Was Brigitte the one Chat Noir was looking for? But he implied he had never seen a dust-eater before, had he not? Or had he played with her?

‘ _Those white monsters are called ‘Amalgamates’,’_ Tikki said, ‘ _They and Akumas are what Chat Noir and your auntie have been fighting against.’_

Marinette froze.

“Fighting?”

‘ _Yes.’_ Marinette almost felt Tikki’s mental wince reflect on her face _. ‘But this should not concern you. All you need to do is find Chat Noir again and get the earrings to him.’_

“That’s really all you want from me?”

‘ _Yes.’_

Something cold washed over Marinette.

“How did Brigitte die?”

Tikki did not answer at first, then Marinette felt her mental head-shake.

‘ _I’m sorry. I don’t know.’_

“You said ‘fighting’. Is that what happened?” Marinette stood up, climbing down the remaining stairs to her bedroom floor. “Did one of those ‘Akumas’ or ‘Amalgamates’ do it?”

A flash of her previous dream came back to Marinette. Flames. A fire. Her eyes widened. Could it be? A fire?

‘ _I’m really sorry, Marinette.’_ The human girl received a strange mental hug. ‘ _I wish I knew more than I do now. I really do. At this point, I’m about as lost as you as to what happened.’_

With a shaky breath, Marinette settled on her chair, feeling very drained.

“My auntie was fighting weird creatures in the streets with a black cat monster and a pair of talking earrings.”

Saying it out loud did not make it sound any better.

But then again, no matter how absurd, she was a dust-eater herself. To the majority of the population, _she_ was the absurdity.

‘ _Marinette…’_

The comforting voice of Tikki was drowned by a loud ring and Marinette’s yelp. She scrambled up the stairs to shut down her alarm clock, glaring daggers at the innocent object. Realizing she had to prepare and go to school, in spite of everything she had just learned, Marinette sighed and reached out to her earrings.

“We’ll continue this conversation later,” she promised, taking the earrings off before Tikki had a chance to protest. Just as she did, she felt a strange sense of emptiness replacing the ghostly presence. She looked down at the red and black earrings before climbing down the stairs and dropping them into her school bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Congar for helping me with this story!
> 
> I have an editor, but I would like for a beta-reader of english origin for this story, if possible. If anyone is interested :)


	3. It's a Bug Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter's [gif](http://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/184209427117/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-3) is here.

“ _I’m NOT scared of that DUST-EATING PUNK, officer Jones. And if you EVER imply another idiocy like that, I will THROW YOUR GRASSY BOTTOM AT THE MUD PILE THE NEXT TIME WE FIGHT! NGAHAHAHAH!”_

“Oh, sweet fluffbun, I love that part!” Alya exclaimed, eyes glued on her phone as they walked. “This episode was great! Check this out, Marinette!”

Marinette politely looked over her fox friend’s phone, masking her annoyance with a smile. This program always caused her discomfort, but it was awfully popular, and she could not deny indulging her best friend. The monster beside the fox, a bubbly turtle-like one called Nino, readjusted his headphones with a nod.

“It was a totally awesome episode, dude… though I’m still disappointed Agent Smith missed the opportunity to smooch officer Jones.”

“Urg, are you for real?” Alya rolled her eyes at him, rising her arms up. “They’re just colleagues, Nino!”

“They obviously crush hard on each others, Alya.”

“No they don’t!” the fox snorted, showing her fangs as she pushed her glasses back up. “They have no chemistry! Beside, it’s obvious agent Smith is exclusively into girls.”

“How would you know?”

“Because the actress playing her is!”

“So? It’s TV. Undyne’s not her character.” Nino put a blunt claw on his scaly beak with a smile, his bubble arms lighting up as he reflected. “I’d totally have put a kissing scene in this episode if I was directing it.”

“Well, gee, it’s a good thing you’re not!”

“Dude, harsh.”

Marinette snickered with a skitter, a claw on her mandibles. She was grateful to have caught up with Alya and Nino before class started. The debates those two could get into were pretty entertaining to watch. It had helped with distracting her from the recent events, and she needed that.

“… Well I still think some romance could have spiced up the episode- Oh, hey!” Nino’s eyes lit up and he waved, sending out bubbly sparks of magic at someone behind the girls. “Here comes one dude who’ll agree! Hey Adrien! My bro!”

Marinette froze at the name, feeling her legs’ joints quiver. She clutched her bag strap with all four of her arms. She did not dare move a muscle as the _love of her life_ climbed up the stairs leading to the school entry where the three of them were talking.

Nino missed Marinette’s reaction, busy greeting his best friend, but Alya did not. She gave Marinette an amused smirk before gently grabbing her red carapace and turning her toward the turtle monster and the new arrival.

“Hey, Adrien,” the fox saluted while Marinette’s expression was frozen into a much too wide a smile. “No impromptu photoshoot this morning, I see!”

“Hey, Alya,” Adrien greeted, before turning his _gorgeous_ green eyes toward Marinette. “Hey Marinette. Yeah, I have a laxer schedule today. I cut myself yesterday on a set, so I’m supposed to rest a bit.”

He put a paw behind his neck as he laughed. To Marinette’s ears, it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. Adrien was _everything_ a perfect monster should be. He was amazingly kind, loving, compassionate, and when he was filled with hope, his eyes were shining like two brilliant emeralds under the sun. She had to admit not being into cat monsters in general, but Adrien was the golden furred exception. He was a professional model, and it showed in _every_ movement he was making. He illustrated the grace of the animal species his form had adapted to like no one else could.

She had successfully stilled her antennas, but she was really glad no one could see her wings buzzing softly under her carapace.

“Well, gee, so the only time they let you take a break is when your get hurt?” Alya put a hand on her hip. “That’s tough.”

Adrien laughed, his well-combed tail curling on his leg.

“It’s really not so bad. And it can be pretty fun sometimes.”

“So, bro, seen the latest ‘Hunting Spear’ episode yet?” Nino asked, pointing to Alya’s phone. “There’s some cool plot developments going down.”

Adrien’s ears perked adorably, before he switched position and they relaxed slightly.

“Ah, did it air yesterday? I forgot to watch it,” he answered, his smile thinning a bit. “It was good then?”

“Sure was! We even got some more info on the way the dust-eaters were-”

“Alya!” Nino jabbed an elbow on the fox’s side, prompting a side glare out of her. “No spoils, girl!”

“Hrm!”

Marinette’s friend swung her twin tails and crossed her arms, but did not argue. A fleeting expression appeared on Adrien’s face before his whiskers twitched and he scratched one of his ears.

“Ah. Dust-eaters. Right.”

“Yeah, I sometimes forget this is what the show’s about this season too. It’s become more of a character drama now.”

“And I’m _so_ annoyed about that!” Alya followed up after Nino, her ears flopping back. “They had such good exploration of the lore in season one! I’m just glad they’re apparently back on track with the new episode.”

“I wonder what they think of it,” Adrien said in a low voice, looking on the side.

“You wonder who is thinking of what?”

“Ah, sorry!” The blond cat monster laughed, scratching his cheek. “I was just imagining what dust-eaters would think of that show if they existed for real.”

“Real dust-eaters?” Nino put a hand under his beak as he was considering the question. “Are we talking the ‘Anne Pasta’ kind, or the ‘Dusklight’ ones? Because that’s two whole different beasts, there.”

“Not to mention those from the ‘Hunting Spear’ itself,” Alya added, “I bet _they_ would be _pissed_ at a TV show giving away their weaknesses.”

“Dude, that’s so true, though.”

The bell rang, bringing the teens’ attention back to the building they were standing near. Nino gestured to it.

“Guess we’ll continue this later. C’mon.”

“Yeah…” Adrien nodded, before stopping and looking around. “What’s that buzzing noise?”

“Huh?”

Something jammed into Marinette’s mid section and she squealed in surprise, all four arms flailing. Alya was looking at her with a smirk. Marinette finally stilled her buzzing wings.

“Is something _bugging_ you, Marinette?” her sly fox friend asked, an expectant smirk on her lips.

“Are you okay, Marinette?” Adrien’s most _endearingly concerned_ voice came from behind Alya. Marinette’s antenna vibrated madly.

“You’re fine-I MEAN I’M FINE!” she blurted out, her carapace flailing open. Alya recoiled and her two male friends looked at her with wide eyes. She forced a laugh, a hand on her neck while one was fiddling with her vest and the two remaining ones were clenched together nervously. “I just… got reminded of a parents my commission had today and how I cannot be late tonight because if I’m burned the oven will be late! And that’s no Adr- _no good_!”

They all stared at her for a few seconds, before Adrien gave her a nervous smile, one of his ears lower than the others.

“That’s… no good. Right.” He nodded, though his whole being, including his aura, betrayed his confusion. “Well, don’t stress yourself out. I’m sure you’ll do great, Marinette.”

His words went like shining beacons of pureness through her soul. She once again wondered how such a walking embodiment of perfection could exist as he and Nino went on ahead. When she realized how idiotic she had just sounded, she gave out a desperate moan and covered her insectoid head with all her hands. Alya patted her carapace soothingly.

“There, there.”

“I’m such a loon,” she complained. Alya chuckled.

“You talked to him. That’s progress!”

“I sounded like a dork!”

“You’ll get there eventually. Now come on, girl, let’s go.” Alya said as she led them both to class.

\--

Class was as expected. Miss Bustier brought up some new ideas on how to implement greeting pattern bullet magic through your phone that was still in development. Marinette tried to stay focused on her pretty skeleton teacher and the elegant wrappings she was wearing, but not even her interest in fashion was enough to distract her from the earrings in her bag.

Marinette’s mandibles quivered and she looked down on her tablet, quickly erasing the cat-eared head she had idly drawn. _Chat Noir_ was the last thing that should be on Marinette’s tablet. The only cat allowed here was _Adrien_. She eyed the studious feline scribbling down the lesson from the seat-bench beside Alya and hers. The perks of being at the front on the same level as him was that she had a full view of his beautiful profile. But being so close to the teacher meant she could not sketch him as stealthily as she would like.

Not to mention she had an easy view of _Chloé Bourgeois_ from the seat behind Adrien, and looking at her bee monster’s smug face always brought a scowl on hers.

Since they had started going to the same school, Chloé had made Marinette’s life a nightmare. Maybe the queen bee had been ticked off by Marinette’s ladybug monster form. Insectoids were uncommon among disguised human kids. Mammal-like and bird-like forms were closer to what was familiar. Marinette had been drawn to a ladybug disguise for as long as she remembered, however. She had few memories of her early childhood, but she _did_ recall her mom switching her bird form for a cricket one in order to make their family unit stand out less.

As a fellow human kid into insects, Chloé could have formed close ties with Marinette. But from the moment each other found out they shared a species, Chloé became insufferable to the ladybug-disguised human. Her incessant bullying had impacted Marinette greatly. It was only thanks to Alya transferring a week ago that the bee backed off. Marinette was forever grateful for Alya’s friendship. It was thanks to her spunk and sharp tongue that Nino started hanging with Marinette again, and he dragged his friend _Adrien_ with him. Marinette savored the dark look Chloé was giving the four of them whenever she saw them together.

The irony was that Adrien had not started off as a friend to Marinette. Chloé had been so obsessed with making sure her childhood friend cat model would not befriend Marinette that she pranked her seat with slime plasma and made it look like Adrien did it on the second day of school. Thankfully, Adrien cleared up what happened with a sincere apology to Marinette. It was his kindness and generosity that made her fall for him that day.

When he offered his umbrella to her as they stood under the rain, Marinette knew. She _loved_ that boy.

“No ogling, girl,” Alya whispered under her breath, prompting Marinette to look ahead. “Teacher’s watching.”

Marinette gave a nervous smile to miss Bustier, who thankfully made no comment, and continued with her lesson. Marinette let out a small breath.

Alya’s warning, unfortunately, brought Marinette’s mind back to her bag and what was in it. One of her hand nervously caressed the strap. She always did carry something important in it; her dust, which her mother personally gave in a new container before she left her home today. Being a dust-eater meant constant stress in the back of one’s mind, even if she was used to it. Not being careful with your magic use, or forgetting to ingest dust regularly to keep your monster form meant getting exposed. And getting exposed meant death, on one side or the other.

For over six thousands years, since the war between humans and monsters, humans had been living in hiding. Eating monster dust became the most practical way to hide. Monsters were made of pure magic. The dust their body left gave humans magic whenever they would consume it. Therefor, consuming dust to magically hide among monsters was the most logical thing to do to stay hidden. The alternative was to hide in remote areas of the world, and it was becoming less and less of an option as monster cities would grow.

At this point, were humans found out to be more than a myth by monsters, it would only bring chaos and civil war. Especially with what humans _did_ to stay hidden.

The term ‘human’ was not particularly worthy of praise by monsters, but it was still better than the legendary ‘dust-eaters’. And as much as she was stressed over the death of her aunt, there was always a treacherous part of her that believed any human death was deserved. That scared her. Even with her parents being as supportive and wonderful as they were, she could not escape self-loathing at the thought of having to eat dead monsters to survive. How could she not, after all, when she had such wonderful monster friends like Alya, Nino, and Adrien? The thought of one day consuming their dust unknowingly from the mixed dust bags the Burrowed Government was distributing tormented her.

But more importantly today, she had to think about this ‘Tikki’ person trapped in those earrings. About her and Chat Noir. What did that mean that her estranged aunt Brigitte knew those people? What mysteries were kept hidden from even the average dust-eater? This stirred something unpleasant inside Marinette.

Chat Noir had mentioned a ‘curse’ as well. She had to ask Tikki if she knew what this was about.

The bell rang for recess, and she sighed in relief, testing her magic reserve. She had used no other magic than for her disguise, so she could hold off recharging for a few hours. Being mediocre at magic lessons was a little price to pay for dust conservation. To her disgust, it was one Chloé never concerned herself with. Even now, she was _literally hovering_ above Adrien, cooing sweet words at him under her wings’ buzzing. His flinching and dismayed expression whenever she did that were not enough to calm Marinette at this excessive dust use.

But Chloé was from an extremely well-off human family, with her father being the mayor of Syrrup. They had access to more than enough dust reserve for Chloé to show off.

“She’s making your antennas twitch again,” Alya warned before standing up, prompting Marinette to do the same. “Not that I blame you. That little stripped buzzkill gets on my nerves all the time.”

“I just wish she would _buzz-off_ his face,” Marinette answered back with a growl, her large bug eyes glaring intently as Adrien and Chloé left the class.

“Yeah, but she is his childhood friend, after all. He’s giving her leeway.” Alya waited for Marinette to pick up her bag and smiled. “My opinion still stand. I really think you’ve got a better chance in the race. He looked impressed with your qualities already. And it’s only been a little more than a week.”

Marinette’s shoulders sagged, her throat tightening. Noticing her stance, Alya massaged her carapace.

“Hey, hey, don’t give me that look, girl! You’re really great, you know that? You’re creative, smart, pretty and kind as a vulkin! You deserve to be recognized!”

Marinette refrained from shaking her head, knowing her friend would take it the wrong way.

“It’s not that,” she assured. And it was not. Marinette may have had some struggles, and a lot of insecurities, but she liked to think she knew her qualities. Everything Alya had listed about her, she believed it to a degree. Even for a dust-eater, she was kind.

But a ‘kind dust-eater’ was worth nothing compared to a ‘kind monster’. And that was as true as the fact that any monster/human pairs were doomed to a horrible future. One she could not inflict on the one she loved.

Simply put: Adrien _did_ deserved better.

“I just wish she would stop chasing after him too,” she said finally, eyes on Chloé as they stepped out of the classroom. Because if the human under the guise of a bee had any true love for Adrien, she would let him go and be content in being a simple friend as well.

“Sadly, it’s not up to us to put the boundaries,” Alya said with a short laugh. “Alright. Next is PE, right?”

“Right.”

As the descended the stairs and reached the courtyard, Marinette caught the feel of a familiar aura. She looked at the school’s entry and saw them. A brown mane among the monster crowd, their uncovered powerful aura making them stick like a sore thumb to anyone who knew what to look for. Marinette immediately felt her panic rise.

It was _them_. The human kid she had given her dust to the day before. The renegade street kid in tattered clothing.

And before she could do anything about this fact, she witnessed the massive white form appear behind the gates and slam through them.

With a multi-layered roar, the Amalgamate landed in the schoolyard.

Marinette’s scream died in her throat.

Panic erupted around the whole school building. Magic bullets flew through the air in colorful explosions of nothing. The Amalgamate was shaking them off with ease, and the most reactive students had made a run for the entries already. In a presence of mind Marinette had not been capable of, Alya had taken one of her arms and rushed them both to the gym locker room.

Unfortunately, Marinette was still Marinette. She tripped and slammed on the ground with panicked skittering, barely able to maintain her form. Her wings were buzzing mad as Alya’s furry clawed hands pulled her up. Before they had taken another step, the large white form was upon them. Marinette stared at the three gaping moaning mouths.

Clutching Marinette tightly, Alya bared her fangs in a savage expression, orange flames flickering up and around them.

“Get away from us, you weirdo!” she yelled at the towering white being. Marinette whimpered when she saw Alya’s flame bullets fizzling out when touching the beast. All Marinette knew how to use as a weapon was her fists. Unless she depleted her magic to cast a spell and revealed herself. What could she _do_?

A black form landed on the white beast with a yowl. Alya yelped and sheltered Marinette as the amalgamate exploded. Parts of its slimy body landed on the two girls. They recoiled in disgust.

“Arg! Oh my god!” The fox monster snarled and tried to wipe off the gooey substance. Marinette peeked through her friend’s hold and her eyes widened in recognition.

In the middle of the white mess was Chat Noir, crouched in a feral stance. After a few breaths, he straightened up and dusted himself.

“Well, this wasn’t how I expected my meowrning to go,” he commented before turning his attention to Alya and Marinette. “Anyway, are you girls okay?”

Alya sputtered, ears down.

“Wh-what? Excuse-me, but who are you? What is _this_ ?” She gestured to the white goop. “And _what’s going on_?”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.”

“Did you just _drop from the sky_?”

“I come from high places.”

“What _was_ that thing?”

“An Amalgamate.”

“A _what_?”

As they went on, Marinette stared. She had not expected to be able to reach the cat monster so quickly after Tikki’s request, but everything about the night she had before and its implication came back crashing. _Chat Noir_ had been fighting those horrible monsters alongside her dead aunt Brigitte. _Chat Noir_ had saved her life as she was exposed and dustless. _Chat Noir knew she was a human!_

No, she corrected herself. Chat Noir did not know now, she was _covered_ . She grabbed her arms as reassurance. Chat Noir did not know her civilian self. He was here by mere coincidence. Not to _find_ her. She should relax.

“Chat Noir is the name, foxy,” the cat presented himself with a bow, proceeding to take Alya’s hand and kiss it. “And for as long as beasts such as these hunt down pretty damsels, I am here for the save.”

Alya blinked at the human-like cat’s behavior. She exchanged a glance with Marinette before crossing her arms and smirking.

“Ah, a hero straight from knights’ ballads, I see. Here to compete with the Hunting Spear?”

Chat Noir huffed, a hand on his hip and his tail swinging.

“Please, foxy lady, knights need not to compete with each others to be true heroes of the people.”

“Hmm, I guess that’s true. Anyway, thanks for the-UARG!”

Alya startled as the goop on her moved on its own. Marinette made a skittering noise and wiped the gesticulating white substance off her arms. Chat Noir’s ears flapped back and he uncovered his human teeth.

“Oh, _fluffbun_ , not again…” His eyes darted around. The white substance was coaling together. “I have to get you out. It’s gonna-”

“AAAH!”

“ _ALYA!”_

Marinette screamed as the white goo on her fox friend dragged her to the ground. The disguised human felt the substance on her arms try to drag her as well, but Chat Noir sprung and pushed her away from the scene. Marinette watched in fear as the Amalgamate reformed, a screeching Alya in its midst.

Seeing the look of utter horror on Alya, Marinette tried to rush for her, only to be caught by Chat Noir’s strong arms.

“NOO! Let me go! Go save Alya! _Alya_!”

“The Amalgamate got her,” he answered, looking at the scene with bared teeth. “And if we try to get near as it reforms, we’ll be absorbed too!”

“You can’t let her die!” Marinette screeched, her wings buzzing, ready to take flight, “ _I_ can’t let her die!”

“Don’t be a hero!”

“Just let me _go_!”

She swiped at the cat monster before she had the time to analyze what she was doing. Thankfully, he ducked under her swing. Realizing what she almost did, she froze.

The humanoid-cat took the opportunity to swipe her off her feet and carry her away with a jump. He landed her on a higher ground, eyeing the Amalgamate grimly.

Marinette saw Alya scream for help one last time before disappearing into the shape-shifting mass.

“Ladybug, now would be a good time to show up…”

Marinette snapped her attention back to the cat who had just muttered those words. Upon noticing her incredulous stare, he gave her an apologetic smile.

“Ah. Sorry. I didn’t mean you… Listen…” He put his hands on her shoulders, his expression turning back to serious. “Go hide in the building. Don’t get near that thing again and warn off everyone else. I’ve got this, okay? I will save your friend. I promise!”

She did not know why, but just hearing those words made her feel warmth in her soul. She wondered if his eyes had anything to do with this feeling.

Green cat-like eyes. Like Adrien’s.

Cat people should _not_ be allowed to have the same eyes, she decided. That was cheating.

She nodded, her voice momentarily gone. With a smile and a salute, the cat jumped back to the white beast with a triple somersault. Looking at his departure, she suddenly realized she had forgotten to give him the earrings.

… The earrings…

_Tikki!_

As if her legs were freed from weights, she sprinted to a classroom door. When she was assured it was empty, she opened her small bag and took out the earrings. She had to partly drop her disguise to put them on with shaky hands. She resumed the illusion right after.

When she felt the familiar thug of the red presence linking to her mind, she jumped on it.

“Tikki!” She whispered.

‘… _Marinette? What’s happening? You’re upset…’_

“An Amalgamate is attacking my school!” She ignored the surge of surprise inside her mind and continued. “Chat Noir is here, and my friend Alya has been absorbed! How do I save her?”

Tikki went hauntingly silent. Marinette almost yelled at her before the earring spirit spoke again.

‘ _You’re asking me how to help your friend?’_

“Yes!” She practically whizzed. “You fought Amalgamates with Chat Noir and Brigitte, didn’t you? You _know_ how to save her!”

‘ _I did not fight. Ladybug did.’_

“…Ladybug?” Marinette repeated. Chat Noir had said something about that.

‘ _Yes. Chat Noir’s partner. She could help Alya… but…’_

“Get Ladybug!” Marinette insisted, sensing the spirit’s reticence. “Alya is in trouble! If you know how to get in touch with this ‘Ladybug’, tell me, please! I’ll get you to Chat Noir once Alya is safe, I promise!”

‘… _Okay. I will do what I can to save your friend. But you will have to trust me, Marinette.’_

“I trust you!” She claimed without hesitation. Her aunt had trusted Tikki, and she had nothing left to lose to save her friend. “I’ll do anything! _Just save her_!”

‘ _I’ll do what I can.’_ Marinette felt a foreign magic gather around her soul. ‘ _I just need you to pronounce a spell for me.’_

Marinette swallowed.

“What do I say?”

‘ _Repeat after me: “Tikki, Spots On!”’_

She did.

And her world swirled in red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marinette's Bug form is loosely based on the [A Buggy Situation](https://www.deviantart.com/ipku/art/2-621749192) comic from Ipku. It seems sadly on hiatus, but I recommend you check their work!
> 
> Next update on Friday.


	4. Heroes of Justice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments! Hope you enjoy this update.
> 
> Here's the [prologue gif](http://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/184299235312/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-4).

Her monster form was gone. Yet, she was covered in magic. Marinette stared at the black-spotted red suit that had replaced her normal clothing. She picked at the texture in awe, trying to get a feel of the strange plasma-like substance. It was  _ familiar _ .

After remembering she was exposed, she ducked down one of the desk with a yelp.

“Oh my god oh my god I can’t be seen like  _ this _ !”

‘ _ Marinette, it’s fine-’ _

“The Watch and the Hunters will both go after me!  _ Why _ am I exposed?”

‘ _ It’s okay, they won’t be able to recognize you. You have a mask now.’ _

Marinette felt her face and noticed the domino mask barely covering half of it. She moaned. Tikki sent her a reassuring feeling.

‘ _ Beside, you’re Ladybug right now. No one will link you to your true identity.’ _

“I’m… Ladybug?”

Marinette rose up and stared at her reflection through one of the class’s windows. Aside from the things she already noticed about her outfit, she now sported two long floating ribbons on her short twin ponytails, and she had a thin belt lines with three round ladybug compacts on its. She was still noticeably Marinette in her eyes.

Her eyes, for that matter, seemed to have gained a glowing blue shine to them.

‘ _ You look a lot like Brigitte did. It’s unlikely anyone will notice you’re someone else.’ _

“Brigitte…”

Marinette’s eyes widened.

“Alya! The Amalgamate!” She clenched her trembling fists. “Oooh we don’t have time for this! Alya needs help!”

‘ _ Yes! Let’s go and help!’ _

Marinette turned to the door and stopped.

“How do I help? What can Ladybug do?” she wondered, looking down at the suit. “What’s the purpose of all this?”

‘ _ My magic combined with yours to create the suit. It greatly enhances your physical aptitudes and your capacity to take hits from both magical and physical attacks. Aside from that, I know a few spells to deal with Amalgamates. My ‘Aphidel’ will absorb the excessive amount of DT they have and prevent them from reforming. My ‘Miracle Cure’ will-’ _

“Okay, I permit you to use my body to fight!”

‘ _ Excuse me?’ _

“You can take over my body, can’t you?” Marinette asked, recalling what happened to her in the stairs this morning. “You have more experience with this than I do! I can’t leave Alya’s rescue to chance!”

‘ _ Marinette, I’ve never fought anything in my whole existence! I only provide the magic necessary for Ladybug to do it! I could barely move your legs if you let me!’ _

“But-”

‘ _ I know you’re scared, Marinette, but only Ladybug can be Ladybug. And currently, Ladybug is you! I’ll be with you all the way, but you _ have  _ to be the one to take the step.’ _

Marinette felt sick. But she took a big breath and rushed through the door, her heart beating fast. She did not dare to look at anywhere but ahead, not wishing to meet a student’s eyes and seeing their look of incredulity at her appearance. Monsters would probably only see humans as another odd form, but humans in disguise would know what she was at a single glance. It was best not to think of this.

She almost reached the door leading outside when it blew open. Chat was propelled through and straight onto her belly. She was launched back and they both landed against the wall. Marinette knew it should have hurt more than it did, but she could feel the pink magic around her cushion the impact. On her laps, the cat-man massaged his head with a groan and looked up. His eyes lit when he saw her.

“Is that an angel of the old prophecy? Here to take me to the Lightfall City?” He winked. “You would make this one a happy kitty.”

She blinked. The loud roar of the Amalgamate brought Marinette’s attention back to its shifting form as it slowly squeezed through the door. She stood up, pulling the flirty black-clad monster up in the process.

“Sorry kitte- _ cat _ ! But you need to get your eyes examined, because that’s no angel!” She pointed at the creature, pulling at Chat Noir’s arms. “Move out!”

“In a sec.”

Chat Noir licked his lips as he traced a small circle with his paws on the floor. Marinette saw black magic swirl around for a second. Then, Chat took a few steps to join her.

“Let’s hope this will do the trick…”

Marinette did not have time to ask what he meant, because at this instant, the Amalgamate wiggled in and pounced. Marinette flinched, but it never reached them. Instead, a black round ball opened under its many feet, and it was sucked into it with a roar of frustration.

As the beast pawed uselessly to get through, Chat Noir let out a noise in between frustration and joy.

“I’ve been trying to get that to work all fight! I’ve used all my mojos on it, but at least I’ve got it!” He put a hand behind his neck and gave Marinette a sheepish smile. “I… guess I’m not what you’re expecting… but I’m hoping we can discuss everything once this is dealt with!”

Marinette looked at him contemplatively. It was the third time they had met, and yet, it was another new encounter for him. It was like seeing him from three different angles. This time, he looked at her deferentially, like he expected her to know what to do. Marinette eyed the white creature warily.

“Is it… safe?”

“Hmm? Oh, it should be, yeah, for another fifteen minutes. At this point, I was hoping to just trap it and evacuate everyone, but since you’re here now, this won’t be necessary, right?”

“Um…”

Marinette’s eyes went from the trapped creature to the cat monster. She wriggled her hands together, unsure of what to do. She felt Chat’s aura prob hers cautiously.

“Um… Are you okay, Ladybug? Y-you  _ are _ Ladybug, right? I mean… Unless I’m really off track, you look… ‘ _ Ladybugy’ _ ?”

“Yes-I mean No! I mean… Yeah I guess?” She gave him a nervous smile and a shrug. His tail twitched and his ears stood up.

“You ‘guess’?”

“This is… my first time, maybe?”

“ _ What?” _

‘ _ Ladybug!’ _

At Tikki’s warning, Marinette yelped and grabbed Chat, throwing them both away before the swiping paw of the Amalgamate reached them. They stared in horror as the beast broke through the black ball, dissipating the spell.

Chat Noir spat out a curse.

“What do you mean ‘I only get three’? Aw, come on! That’s not fair!”

“Run!”

Clasping the cat humanoid’s arm, she rushed through the corridor, the creature hot on their tail. Marinette felt almost as if she was flying. Her whole body was impossibly light. She wanted to laugh in spite of the circumstances.

Her exhilaration took a literal turn for the worse when an innocent monster strolled from a corner. She tried to warn the ice-porcupine, but she and Chat had already gone through the intersection. She skidded to a stop and looked back, her fists clenched. Beside her, Chat Noir leaned down and materialized a misty staff.

The Amalgamate turned its attention to the monster, who quacked in fear and sent out snow bullets all around them, rolling in a spiked ice-ball. The Amalgamate followed the magic bullets and pawed at some of them in curiosity, only to turn back to the ice monster when they dissipated.

Chat Noir’s mist staff clunked it on its head before it could reach the ice monster. Marinette slid from under its many legs to get to the spiky ice ball. She picked the rolled-up monster with a grunt and flung them away rolling. Then, she turned to face the Amalgamate. It pawed at her and she parried, wincing at the diffused pain. Humans, being physical, were naturally stronger than monsters, but that thing was definitely denser than anything magic she had even crossed.

Chat Noir bonked the Amalgamate again, bringing its attention away. Marinette’s eyes darted around. She saw the fire cut doors behind Chat. That could slow it down! If only she could reach it…

‘ _ Use one of your compacts!’ _ Tikki’s voice called. ‘ _ Say “Lucky Break” to create a diversion!’ _

“Got it… Lucky Break!” She exclaimed, throwing the round ladybug object to the ground. It exploded in a swarm of flying ladybugs, surrounding the surprised Amalgamate. She rushed under the distracted being, grabbed Chat Noir and flung them both through the heavy door. She ran to a classroom and shoved her fellow fighter in, slamming the door shut and turning the key.

“Okay,” she said with a ragged breath. “We need a plan.”

“Sounds good to meow,” he replied, sprawled on the floor, looking as tired as she was. Gulping, Marinette looked around the empty classroom at anything that could help them, her brain in overdrive.

“Of all the thing… attacking a school,” she muttered, looking onto desks’ trunks and leafy closets. “What does this thing even  _ want _ ?”

“Right now? Probably a ‘bug and kitty’ pâté.”

“Not helping,” she reprimanded, rummaging through school supplies. “ _ Fluffbun _ , I’m shaking…”

“… Sorry, Ladybug.” The cat had sat down when she looked back, a hand on his knees. “It’s been a stressful week for me too. I’ve been tracking this one for days, but I can’t seem to do more than slow it down. Not even my most powerful move can bring it down for long.”

“… Can you do it again?” she asked, in a softer tone. He shook his head.

“I’ve depleted my magic charges, and now, I’m famished,” he answered, a hand on his stomach. “Some hero, huh?”

“You saved… that… girl, right?” Marinette quickly stopped herself from blurting out her identity, feeling Tikki’s concern flailing. Seeing his surprised look, she smiled a little too widely and massaged her neck. “Uh, yeah! That bug girl! I saw her warn people in the school. She said you saved her!”

Chat Noir nodded, looking ahead.

“And her friend is still inside the Amalgamate. This is why we can’t give up.”

He stood up resolutely before his stomach growled and he flushed. 

“… uh, right after a food break. Found anything edible in here? Preferably cheese?”

Marinette gave him a strange look, then shook her head.

“No, and I don’t think we should let that thing roam freely in the school for so long,” she said in a dark tone. “If it absorbs monsters, it’s clear it’s growing stronger every time.”

“Yeah… and if it gets its paws on a dust-eater, we’ll get into even bigger troubles.”

He eyes widened.

“D-dust-eaters? It’s trying to absorb a dust-eater?”

Chat stretched with a hum, frowning.

“Amalgamates are unstable. Apparently, a dust-eater’s soul is strong enough to turn it into a single-minded being. But it turns into an Akuma then, and Akumas are apparently even  _ worse _ . I’ve managed to rescue a dust-eater from it yesterday, but it looks like it found another and tracked them down to the school.”

Marinette recalled how Chat had swooped in to save her the night before, and her attention went back to what she saw in the courtyard less than twenty minutes ago.

“The kid!” she exclaimed, slamming a fist on her palm.

“What kid?”

“The h-I spotted an uncovered dust-eater in the school! Probably a renegade!” she explained. “I didn’t see them in the proximity of the Amalgamate, but that must be who it’s after!”

Chat squinted in thought.

“So, it’s going to go after them if it stops chasing us,” he realized, slapping his front. “Urg… and I’ve got no moves to help anymore!”

‘ _ Marinette, you can use one of your compacts to give energy to Chat Noir,’  _ Tikki intervened.

“Huh? I can do that?” she looked down at the two remaining compacts.

"You can do what?” Chat asked.

‘ _ Yes, just put it down at his feet and say “Spring Swarm”.’ _

“Like this?” She took a compact and threw it down. “Spring Swarm!”

The compact opened and a pink glittering dust emanated from it. Chat looked at the fog surrounding him.

“Whoa… is that healing magic?” he asked with incredulity as he breathed in. “I’ve never seen one like it! Pretty cool!”

‘ _ Spring Swarm gives out one charge of your magic reserve to people around you, Marinette. You get three charges for large spells every transformation. I suggest you step in close to get back some of it too. You will need to cast two other smaller spells that work as one big charge if you want to defeat the Amalgamate.’ _

“Uh, okay?”

She stepped into the mist and almost bumped into Chat Noir’s chest. His eyes widened and his aura radiated with embarrassment at the close contact. Marinette gave out a nervous laughter.

“Ah. Sorry. My… ‘helper’ told me to do that.”

“Ah.” His eyes widened and a slight smile appeared on his lips. “Good to know I’m not the only one  _ bugged  _ by this oddity.” He tapped his head to make her understand. Her eyes widened.

“…You too?” She checked his cat ears, but they were free of piercings. He laughed and nodded.

“And I don’t know about yours, but mine’s been pretty cagey about all this… on the plus side, I’ve got cool powers,” he said, holding out a clawed hand.

“Like that one that makes the Amalgamate explode?” Marinette asked, a hand on her chin. “Do you think you could do that again now that you’ve got some magic back?”

As the pink mist dissipated, Chat frowned in thought before nodding.

“I’ve got enough for a shot, I think. But I’ll have to touch them to use ‘Catastrophe’.”

‘ _ Catastrophe is necessary for you to successfully cast ‘Aphidel’, Marinette,’  _ Tikki explained. ‘ _ It will make you absorb the Amalgamate’s DT and prevents it from reforming again.’ _

“What’s DT?” Marinette asked.

“Determination,” both Chat and Tikki answered simultaneously. Chat continued. “I’m not sure of the whole thing, but apparently, whoever made the Amalgamates practiced soul experiments, and ‘DT’ is some soul energy-related substance to make a soul last. Pl-my ‘mind-voice’ isn’t really open with me, so I hope yours will be… Enjoying the view, by the way?”

She noticed she was still close to his chest and stepped back with a yelp. He snickered and she glowered, before rolling her eyes and frowning.

“So, the basic of the plan is: you touch the Amalgamate, and I come in and dispose of the DT before it can reform.”

“You can  _ do _ that?” Chat blinked and huffed. “Now, I know what he meant when he said Ladybug was needed… but you said this was your first time? That means-”

_ BANG! _

The two of them jumped at stared at the door the white mass of the Amalgamate was hitting. Part of it liquefied and slid through the door’s orifices like the world’s most disgusting liquid.

Chat’s tensed his claws. Marinette switched position.

“So you touch it and we’re good, right?”

“Unless I miss. It evaded me the second time I used it today,” Chat admitted with a wince. “And in such close quarter, I can’t count on the element of surprise.”

“Maybe not…” Marinette’s eyes strayed on one of the desks and they widened. “…Or maybe you can!” She flexed her hands, and her smile brightened when little pink sparkles appeared. “How decent are you with bullet patterns, Chat Noir?”

“I’m sorry? I don’t think that one is responsive to proper monster greetings.”

“We’re only limited in spell charges, right? What about regular monster magic?”

‘ _ It doesn’t cost you charges, but you’ll still get lower energy.’ _

“I’m listening,” Chat Noir told her, flexing a hand full of black glitters.

The Amalgamate busted through the door less than a minute later, its three mouths moaning a roar. It padded the silent classroom expectantly, coming closer to a trunk desk and sniffing it.

A flash of light caught its attention and it turned, swiping at it. The galloping black cat exploded into a hundred of pink and black ladybug bullets at the contact. The Amalgamate watched, mesmerized, and tried to catch all of the flying lights.

It noticed too late the figure coming down on it. It slammed into the ground with a splash. Ladybug’s foot stomped on its biggest head, the two pink wings she had materialized buzzing with excitement.

“As I thought, you’re easily distracted by pretty lights, aren’t you, big guy?” Making sure it was pinned under her, she shouted. “Chat Noir!  _ Now _ !”

The black cat monster sprung out of the trunk desk with a grin and flung his hand onto the incapacitated beast. Like the last time, it exploded into goop all over the classroom. Almost entirely covered herself, Ladybug coughed up a little and took out her last compact.

“Alright. Tikki says it’s two in one for that last one…” She opened it and chanted. “Aphidel!”

Green lights poured out of the compact and attached themselves to the white substances. After a few seconds, they turned to a light gold and flew back to Ladybug’s compact. When the light entered it, Marinette felt the air cut out from her lungs and choked. The pure dust she had absorbed yesterday was a bothersome sensation, but nothing compared to the pression this made her feel. It was like she had eaten too much soul matters, at once.

She fell to her knees and coughed. Only noticing later Chat Noir was patting her back, and Tikki mentally cooing at her.

“Hey,” Chat’s voice was full of concern. “Are you holding up?”

“Y-yeah… That was just… a lot.”

A lot of what, she was not sure. Tikki gave her a mental hug.

‘ _ It will take some getting used to, but absorbing DT is necessary for your soul to do,’ _ she told Marinette. ‘ _ Humans can take this much of it and more, but monsters would only suffer from it, as the Amalgamates do. You now have enough energy for the Miracle Cure. It will restore every monsters in the Amalgamate to their original body.’ _

Marinette nodded resolutely and stood up, still helped by Chat Noir. She raised the opened compact again.

“Miracle Cure.”

Just like that, she felt the excessive energy inside her soul go down. She watched, amazed, as pink ladybugs sprung forth from the compact and it dissolved. They washed through the white substance. Just like that, they replaced it by monsters of every sorts, clutching their heads hazily.

Marinette spotted the fox girl on the ground and rushed to her, forgetting for an instant who she currently was. She gripped Alya’s shoulder. Her partner crouched in front of the fox.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Ngh… my head…” Alya opened her golden eyes and saw Chat. “It’s you… what happe-” Her mouth snapped shut and she looked around, her tails tensing. “… Oh, god, where  _ is _ that thing?”

“We took care of the Amalgamate. You’re safe now,” Chat assured.

“I was inside… ooh… that thing got me!” She clutched her her head. “It got me and… where’s Marinette?”

“Marinette’s safe,” the human girl intervened, massaging her friend’s back in reassurance. “Chat Noir got her out before it could get to her.”

Alya nodded with a sigh before looking at Marinette curiously.

“And who are  _ you _ ?”

“Uh… I’d like to know that too, if you don’t mind,” a rock covered monster intervened, massaging his head. “And I’d like to know what I’m doing here, for that matter. Last thing I remember was taking a stroll to buy some groceries for a recipe.”

“All I recall is that white thing attacking me!” another monster said, their hand head wriggling in discomfort.

“That happened to me too!”

Soon enough, the classroom was buzzing with questions coming from a dozen of confused monsters. Marinette glanced at Chat Noir for help, but saw he was looking as unprepared as she was. Swallowing and taking a breath, she stood up and raised her hands, bringing their attention back to her.

“I know this is confusing; but things are okay now. You have been attacked by something we call ‘Amalgamate’. It had temporarily absorbed you to grow in strength and prey on other monsters, but we defeated it and released everyone.”

“How did you do that?” Alya asked, eyes widened in awe. “Who are you?”

Marinette hesitated, but after meeting Chat Noir’s gaze, she nodded and smiled.

“You can call us Ladybug and Chat Noir. And from now on, we will protect this town from Amalgamate attacks!”

Alya’s face lit. Her ears springing straight on her head.

“Oh my flufflbun!” She looked at Chat Noir. “You really  _ are  _ heroes!”

“No need to sound so surprised,” the feline retorted with half a smile. Marinette was giggling when a feeling of tiredness and hunger invaded her.

‘ _ You used up your charges. We need to go before you drop your super-powered form in front of everyone!’ _

Chat Noir may have received a similar warning, because he took her by the arm and led her out of the classroom with a smile and a wave.

“And as it happens, duty calls for us! Have a great day, everyone! Eat your vegetables and stay out of trouble!”

Marinette smiled and waved at her fox friend.

“Bug out!”

The ‘heroes’ ran through the school corridors for a bit, until Chat Noir stopped and looked at Ladybug.

“You were incredible back there, bug. I’m honored I was your partner for this!”

The sincerity of his tone made her smile.

“I’m glad you were with me too, Chat Noir. I never could have done this without you.”

“The day is long and I’ve a lot of duties, so we can’t do this now. But I  _ think _ we should see each other tonight. To discuss a few things.”

“Oh! That’s right!” She reached for the earrings. “I have to give you-”

She stopped when she felt Tikki’s disapproval. She then remember she was still at school and possibly without illusions under her hero form. This made her stop.

“Give you… my gratitude again for being at my side!”

“And I’ll gladly accept it, my lady!” He chuckled, then gave her a coy smile and passed an arm around her shoulders. “I think I may have fallen head over heels for your charms.”

She stared at him blankly before pushing him away by the nose, chuckling. His eyes widened in surprise as she disengaged from his hold.

“The charmer is you, kitty. But I’ve things to do as well.” She had to check up on Alya as her civilian self, for starter. “Where should we meet?”

Chat Noir recovered and put his arms behind his back.

“The town’s clock at ten thirty will be a good time. I know you can reach it with those pretty wings of yours.”

“And will you climb, kitty-cat?”

He laughed.

“I’m clawsome at it.”

“Better than you are with puns, I hope!”

“Me-ouch!”

\--

They departed by running in two different directions. The school wing was still mostly deserted, but Marinette took the safe bet and entered a bathroom. Monster food was made of ethereal materials, so they did not need to ever use the bathroom if that was all they ate. Humans like her still required to go in order to pee, even if eating monster food solved the other issue. The bathrooms were still fully equipped for both, however, as physical food was something monsters could eat if they so wished. Marinette knew human leaders made physical food a popular meal for the sole purpose of having a reason to install bathrooms into public places.

Marinette checked all the stalls before Tikki dropped her hero form. She sagged on the wall a little when the magic dissipated and she breathed in, trembling.

‘ _ How are you holding up?’ _

“I’m okay,” she whispered. “That was… I don’t know what that was… but…”

‘…  _ But?’ _

“But I’m glad.”

Alya was safe. Chat was not a bad person at all. She was a hero.

She was glad.

‘ _ I see.’ _ Tikki’s presence glowed into her soul. ‘ _ I’m relieved you’re feeling that way, Marinette. I’m proud of how well you handled yourself.’ _

Marinette smiled, a hand on her chest.

“Thanks, Tikki.”

‘ _ You should get back to Alya now.’ _

“Ah, that’s right!” Marinette opened her bag to reach for the dust bottle. She stopped and stared at it, frowning. Reality had just caught up with her.

Sensing her displeasure, Tikki gave her a mental hug.

‘ _ You won’t need this today.’ _

Marinette blinked and looked at her human reflection.

“What do you mean?”

‘ _ It means you have  _ me _ , Marinette. My magic is yours. Just let us eat something in less than an hour.’ _

Marinette felt it. The magic inside of her, at her disposal. With a fast-beating heart, she called upon her familiar monster form.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update on Monday.


	5. Ladybug and Chat Noir

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](http://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for agreeing to be my beta reader for this fic!
> 
> Here's this [chapter gif](http://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/184370271807/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-5).

When she found Alya again, they hugged each others tightly. Class had been disturbed and mostly canceled for the day as students and outsiders alike were trying to figure out what happened. Rumors of the white creatures and the two ‘heroes’ who stopped its rampage were already circulating. They were mostly fueled by Alya, from what Marinette could tell. The fox monster was recounting her misadventures to anyone she crossed paths with, and even more so when the class finally reunited.

To Marinette, the day went by fast. She heard her parents’ worries about the attack when she went back. She gave a ‘hmm’ noise and nodded at their speculations as to what happened, and she assured them both that she had stayed far away from any danger.

Before what happened with Tikki, she would have told them everything. After fighting the Amalgamate, she thought she understood the need for complete secrecy.

This was huge. Bigger than becoming a masked hero.

‘ _ Will you be fine sneaking by your parents to meet with Chat Noir, Marinette?’  _ Tikki asked when they were finally alone in her room. ‘ _ Ten thirty is early. They will probably still be up.’ _

“I’m not planning on taking this route, Tikki,” the human girl answered, pointing a finger up at her mezzanine. “I have a window leading to a terrace up there. I can’t keep it open when I’m ‘exposed’, but I’m growing some plants and enjoying the view whenever I can.”

‘ _ Oooh! I love plants!’ _

This brought a chuckle out of Marinette. She headed to her desk, where her unfinished projects were. Sitting on her chair, she opened her bag and took out her dust reserve, examining it.

“…Barely touched,” she muttered as she flipped the small vial. She had no need for it since Tikki lent her magic to her. After Marinette ate lunch, the earrings’ spirit had regained most of her strength.

‘ _ And so long as you eat well while wearing the earrings, you won’t need to touch it again.’ _

“This is surreal, Tikki… everything is, but  _ this _ ?” She glanced at her mirror with a smile. “You’re the cure for humans’ dependence on monster dust! Do you realize how  _ incredible _ this is?”

‘ _ My memories are still vague, but I think Brigitte was excited about that as well.’ _

Brigitte. Marinette recalled Sabine say her sister had been a Burrower to escape the need for constant dust. Yet, she had been found dead on the surface, inside a secretly rented flat. Marinette looked down at the vial. This explained why.

“… I wish I could have known more about her. She seems like… she seemed like a good person.”

‘ _ She was… from what I remember. I think she was a lot like you, actually. Kind, and bright and loving of monsterkind.’  _ Tikki’s excitement flared. ‘ _ She had a passion for creation too! Like you seem to have. Can I see some of your projects?’ _

Marinette chuckled and turned to what she was working on. It was a beige spring hat with a pink ribbon ornament. All that was left to do on it was sewing a flower. She picked it up.

“A Burrower named Rose has asked for one. I took the opportunity. There’s a lot to learn about crafting.”

‘ _ And it’s handmade too! A lot of creators go for magical cloth-making over physical ones.’ _

“Well, I’m a human.” Marinette shrugged. “I can’t use magic without dust. And using magic when I’m alone at home would be a waste. I’m glad for the progress I made on hats, though. I even won a contest last year. Physically sewing it takes more time, but there’s advantages in using physical products for long-lasting purposes as well.”

‘…  _ Well, now, you’ll be able to use magic at home without using dust if you so wish.’ _

Marinette stopped moving, then raised her head hopefully.

“Do you really mean it? You would let me use your magic for this?”

‘ _ Monster magic or basic disguises don’t cost me any charges. They’re safe to use.’ _

Marinette’s expression darkened at the mention of ‘charges’.

“… But I’m supposed to give you to Chat, aren’t I? Isn’t that what you wanted of me? So…”

‘…  _ Well… I think we probably should go see Chat Noir and discuss it,’  _ Tikki replied, in an oddly neutral tone. ‘ _ It’s going to be time soon, isn’t it?’ _

“… Right.” Marinette sighed and put the hat down, taking back the dust vial and putting it in her small bag. “Let me put some pillows under the sheet to make it look like I’m sleeping. Would it spend a lot of magic if I travel by flying?”

‘ _ Brigitte wasn’t a big flier… but I think it won’t take much out of me.’ _

With a nod, Marinette went to work. Within a few minutes, ‘Ladybug’ was flying out of the bakery roof and heading toward the clock tower.

\--

She spotted Chat Noir on the roof, leaned against a bird-shaped chimney. When she neared, he turned his glowing green eyes toward her and sent out glittery black swirling bullet patterns. She responded by sending some of her insect-shaped ones, which countered them. He had a huge smile on his lips when she landed.

“Good to see you under better circumstances, my lady.” He swung his arms toward the town bellow, and the large, lit up Syrup Tree towering in the distance. “Isn’t Syrrup’s night atmosphere the  _ peak _ of romance? What an experience to share, don’t you think?”

Marinette gave him a careful look and put her arms on her hips.

“When Tikki told me to find you, I admit I expected something a bit different from ‘Ladybug’s fighting partner’. The flirting and the puns are… surprising.”

“Oh? I hope it was a good surprise.” The cat-boy walked closer, hands behind his back and tail swinging. “Plagg says ‘hi’ to Tikki, by the way. He’s happy she’s safe.”

‘ _ Plagg… this is Chat Noir’s magic partner, like I am to you,’  _ Tikki explained before Marinette could ask anything. ‘ _ If there was any doubt that this is the new ‘Chat Noir’, there isn’t anymore.’ _

Marinette frowned.

“The ‘new Chat Noir’? So he’s not the original one.”

Chat nodded, his smile thinning.

“Un _ fur _ tunately true. The original ‘Chat Noir’ was gone before I got Plagg’s ring two weeks ago.” The cat monster lifted his right hand, where he wore a black ring with glowing feline pads. “Not even Plagg knows where he is currently… and I’ll go on a limb and say that you’re in the same boat as us?” He crossed an arm on his chest, supporting the other up. “Because it seems obvious that you’re not the old ‘Ladybug’ either.”

Marinette’s expression darkened. Her fists clenched. She considered how much she should reveal before deciding on being truthful.

“… I know where she is. And she’s not coming back.”

“… Oh.” Just like that, Chat faltered, his ears down, gazing at the rooftop under them. “I’m… sorry to hear that.”

“The dusting ceremony happened less than a week ago,” Marinette continued, her voice oddly neutral. She picked at one of her earlobes. “I found out about Tikki yesterday.”

“ _ Who else know about her? _ ”

Marinette jumped at Chat’s tone. He sounded deeper, more serious. Chat grimaced and shook his head.

“ _ Plagg! _ I’m sorry.” He stuck out his tongue and scratched his head. “He doesn’t usually take control like that. That was rude!”

Marinette recalled Tikki’s ability to move her body and repressed a shudder. Still, she felt obliged to accommodate the two spirits who helped her save Alya.

“Well, hello then… Plagg.” She put a hand on her chin. “Would you rather Tikki talk through me, then? I know she can do it.”

She could feel Tikki’s protest, but Chat Noir frowned and shook his head.

“Tikki’s not the one I need answers from about this. But I’ll take you on the offer later. Who knows about the earrings aside from you?”

“I… didn’t tell anyone, if that’s what you’re asking.” Marinette shrugged, wriggling her hands.

“And you’ve got the earrings straight from the dusting ceremony, then? That’d make you a family member. It would explain your resembl- _ Plagg! _ ”

Chat Noir scowled at the air, shaking his head.

“That’s just in poor taste from you- _ whatever _ ,” he cut himself, drawling and rolling his eyes. “I’m tired of flapping your mouth. Just relay what I’m asking from now on. This is serious chit-chats.”

He shut his mouth, blinked and let out an annoyed breath. Marinette giggled nervously.

“Looks like yours is quite the handful, right, kitty?”

“That’s a nice way to put it,” he answered, tail swinging. “Usually, all he takes over for is stinky cheese. But the body-sharing can be stressful.”

“I suppose you could just take the ring off from time to time?”

“Ah. Right. That’s actually why we’re here!” He stepped in front of her and showed her his ring hand. “We’ve got a curse to break!”

Marinette recoiled from the sudden proximity and looked at the ring curiously.

“… A curse?” she repeated. That was what he had said the night he first met her, she recalled.

Chat nodded.

“The ring cannot be removed by itself the first time it’s put on. Plagg told me Tikki and Ladybug… the  _ first  _ Ladybug… knew the specific magic to do it. I know you may not know how, but Tikki should. Can you ask her?”

“… Tikki?”

‘…  _ I… I think I remember something like that, yes,’  _ Tikki said, sounding uncertain. ‘ _ I think it’s because Plagg’s ring works differently from mine.’ _

Marinette blinked.

“How so?”

‘ _ Plagg won’t give powers to a human. He can only empower a monster.’ _

“Huh?” Marinette cocked her head, looking to the side. “Why is that?”

“You know, you can speak in your mind only and she will still hear you, right?”

Marinette blushed at Chat’s comment, because she had not realized that. Tikki distracted her away from her embarrassment.

‘ _Plagg is actually a human soul. ‘Chat Noir’_ _has_ _to be a monster.”_

Marinette froze, her mouth open as she stared at the cat humanoid before her.

A monster… with a human soul…

This was…

“Abonin-”

She covered her mouth. Chat Noir cocked his head, looking much too adorable in his worry for a legendary being whose powers could destroy  _ dozens _ of humans with one swift magic move.

“… My lady? Is everything okay?”

How could this be? She knew the history of monsters and humans. She knew of the war. She knew that monsters who absorbed the souls of dead humans were directly responsible for almost killing off the human race and force the survivors to flee and hide.

Dust-eaters may have been predators to monsters, but they had their own predators as well. Fear of monster-fusion was the exact reason why The Watch shattered any souls of humans found dead.

“If they catch you, they’ll kill you on the spot,” she said very seriously to the cat monster, who took a step back.

“I, uh… don’t intent to get caught, my lady.”

‘ _ A monster fusing with a dead human soul is normally permanent, but we succeeded in circumventing this by creating the ring as a vessel for Plagg. I don’t remember the details,’ _ Tikki explained, keeping her calm even as Marinette felt like screaming. ‘ _ The natural inclination for a monster soul to fuse with a human one is most likely the reason for the ‘curse’ that makes the ring irremovable without the proper magic placed to attune the monster to it.’ _

A ring that could grant the power of a human soul to a monster. A set of earrings that grant a human the ability to use monster magic at will.

Marinette brought a hand on her chest.

_ Tikki… if Plagg is a human soul… then, are you… _

‘ _ I’m not a soul, no. I can tell because I can compare with yours. You already know that monsters’ souls cannot last after death like humans do, so a fusion in that sense is not normally possible.’ _

_ What are you, then?  _ Marinette frowned.  _ Because you possess monster magic… _

‘ _ I don’t know… but back to Plagg’s ring. I don’t actually remember the magic needed to remove the ring.’ _

Marinette’s attention switched back to Chat’s ring.

“…Not even a clue?”

‘ _ I believe it was complicated, and Brigitte did most of it. Right now, that’s all I can say.’ _

Marinette sighed.

“Tikki says she doesn’t remember.”

“… Seriously?”

“From the moment she spoke to me, she said she had memory issues.” She gave Chat Noir an apologetic look as he frowned down. “I wish I could help more, believe me.”

Chat Noir snorted and shook his head, patting the girl’s shoulder.

“That’s alright, Ladybug. I know you and Tikki did what you could.” His eyes strayed like he was listening to someone and he switched his stance. “But you said Tikki has memory losses?”

“Yeah. I asked her about B-about the previous Ladybug’s death, and she said she didn’t know how it happened. I’m not even sure they were still linked by the earrings at the time.”

Chat felt silence. Marinette could tell the monster was having an internal argument… or rather monster-human fusion! No wonder his magic had felt so strong!. She waited until he was done. Chat grimaced and exhaled, arms on his hips.

“Okay… Plagg wants to speak again. To the three of us this time. I think this is imp _ urr _ tant.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the impromptu pun, but nodded. Chat Noir shifted his stance again, flicked his tail and crossed his arms.

“Alright. It’s a pain, but at this point, I guess I have to tell you everything relevant about what’s happening. Since Tikki needs this too. Chat Noir and Ladybug did not just fight Amalgamates in the streets to play ‘hero’. In fact, today was the first time they were spotted in daylight and spoke publicly. I suppose we’ll have to see how this plays out.” He flicked his ears and shrugged before continuing. “Anyway, the Amalgamates and Akumas were created by someone who is after Ladybug and Chat Noir’s powers. For nefarious purposes, as far as we could determine. His name in the street is Hawkmoth.”

“Hawkmoth?” Marinette repeated, earning her a sharp look from ‘Chat’. She looked down with a blush, and Plagg continued.

“The first Chat Noir and Ladybug successfully destroyed his lab in Eytoe a few months ago… or so we thought.” He glowered at the ground. “We were caught by surprise by a big Amalgamate two weeks ago, and Ladybug and Chat Noir got separated. Chat Noir had to hide the ring. And for the sake of the kid’s privacy, I won’t say where, but he never came back to pick it up and it landed on the kid’s finger instead, which is where all my current woes come from.” He flicked his tail, making a trail of darkness in the air. “My hope was to find Ladybug again to remove the ring, get back to her and Tikki, and leave the kid alone. But it looks like this plan is done for… Of all the things to happen to Ladybug…”

He spat the last part. Marinette felt a weight in her chest. Sighing, Plagg shook Chat’s head.

“…We can’t count on Ladybug… and we can’t count on Chat Noir. All we have to protect the ring and the earrings are two kids in way over their heads. I hate to say it, but Hawkmoth may have won that one unless the previous Chat Noir suddenly comes back, or we stay in hiding forever.”

‘ _ Marinette, will you allow me partial control?’ _ Tikki suddenly asked. ‘ _ I wish to talk to Plagg.’ _

Marinette nodded. She felt Tikki’s magic trying to access control of her head movement. She had to make a conscious effort to let it happen, sensing a strange detachment from herself once Tikki had control.

“Bl-Pl-Plagg,” Tikki scrunched Marinette’s nose as she tested her tongue. “It’s Tikki… Teee-Kee…”

Chat’s ears perked up. His expression shifted subtly to something Marinette could not read, but his aura felt more open.

“Tikki…”

Tikki nodded Marinette’s head before speaking.

“I… was trying to do as you did. Getting the earrings back to Chat Noir. It’s clear we have to change tactics now. But I don’t think things are as hopeless as it seems.”

Plagg hummed, licking with Chat’s lips.

“… What do you suggest?”

“The ring and the earrings are still a secret to everyone aside from ‘Chat Noir’ and ‘Ladybug’. Not even our foe should be aware of the source of their powers yet, so we haven’t lost that advantage. Furthermore… Chat Noir and Ladybug successfully defeated an Amalgamate today-”

“Sheer luck,” Plagg cut her, his tone abrupt. “And luck runs out. They’re just kids.”

“They are. But they’re the only ones we can count on right now. Your Chat Noir can’t remove the ring, so he will be a target until he can. As for my Ladybug…” Tikki, through Marinette, grimaced. “I believe she would want to have a say in whether she will fight Hawkmoth or give the responsibility to someone else. Wouldn’t you, Ladybug?”

Marinette felt strange at being called by this name with her own voice. Nevertheless, the answer to Tikki’s question was obvious.

_ I’ll do it. I will fight. _ She would have nodded, had she still had control.

Because that was all she could do after everything that happened. To Brigitte. To Alya. To everyone whose life was endangered by the Amalgamates this Hawkmoth sent.  _ And Chat Noir will need my help to figure out how to remove the ring too… There is too much at stake if I don’t step up. _

“… I knew you would agree to this, Ladybug,” Tikki said with a sad smile. “The truth is we’re limited in our choices, Plagg. Not many would agree to fight this battle. And too many older souls would rather use us for personal gain over defeating Hawkmoth. Those two are the only ones we can trust.”

“I hate when you make sense,” Plagg groaned, shaking Chat’s head. “About as much as I hate having to use kids to do this.”

“Our priority may be to find a way to remove Chat’s ring, if only to make him stand out less. I don’t know why so many of my memories are missing, but we need them to do this.”

Plagg nodded.

“Let’s go with that for now. And I guess we’ll do our best as ‘guardians’ to train those kittens up so they don’t end up like Ladybug.”

Tikki agreed with a noise.

“I’m releasing control now,” she warned, right before Marinette felt her neck muscles relax. She straightened her head up and massaged the back of it. That was a disturbing experience.

Chat’s body seemed to slacken and he stumbled, sending up a weak glare that would never reach out to Plagg.

“Urg. Fluffbun. That’s still nasty.” He gave Marinette a smile. “Looks like you were only in  _ neck deep _ , my lady.”

Marinette huffed at the forced pun and walked to the cat monster.

“So… this is what we’re doing now? Are you…  _ okay  _ with this? You didn’t get to choose.”

Chat blinked and snorted.

“How sweet of you to feel concerned, bugaboo! But don’t worry.” He pointed at his chest. “This cat is more than happy to fight against street villainy with you!” He picked at the fabric he was wearing. “My only issue is not being able to switch back to my regular form at will. I’m stuck looking like the old Chat Noir thanks to Plagg’s connection with him.”

Marinette raised an eyebrow at the new pet name he called her, but made no comment on it.

“How are you dealing with this? If this isn’t your true form, then you can’t show yourself to your loved ones… that’s-”

“Not too troublesome. Plagg is a good teacher.” He gave her a knowing smile, his green eyes glinting. “What better than a dust-eater to teach another legendary creature how to mingle?”

Dust-eater. Right. He  _ knew _ . Her eyes widened.

“You  _ disguise _ yourself all the time?” Like she did.

“Only when I’m with other people.” He shrugged. “I can relax in my room… Then again, that’s probably how you do this as well.”

It was honestly strange for Marinette to discuss this with a  _ monster _ . It made her feel exposed in a way she should never be. The Human Masquerade was still a thing. It  _ should  _ still have been. She crossed her arms to cover her unease. Chat eyed her more thoughtfully.

“… You know, this is still blowing my mind that you exist,” he confessed. “People like you, I mean. And Plagg.” He smiled. “And it still blows my mind how pawsitively  _ adorable  _ you really look!”

This brought a snort out of Marinette.

“Careful, monster. With one hit, we could dust you,” she warned with a playful smirk. He grinned wide and snickered, turning away.

“I’ve had my close-call yesterday already, no worries!” She was thankful he could not see her blush in the night. He turned back and batted his eyes at her. “Besides, I know there’s nothing to worry from my trusted partner.”

He raised a fist expectantly.

“Are we in this together, bug?”

She looked at him before smiling. Her fist met his.

“As long as you don’t spend your time fanboying over me and Plagg,” she dared to quip back with a wink.

“Aw, but that’s the best part!”

The both laughed into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update on monday.


	6. Dust-Eaters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos! Hope you enjoy this part!
> 
> Here's this part's [gif](https://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/184534786452/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-6)

“There are still so many things I don’t understand,” Marinette muttered out loud, her mandibles quivering nervously as she headed into a gym stall to change. “You and Plagg. Your existence. Why were you created? Why Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

‘ _Marinette! Don’t speak of this out loud in public!’_ Tikki scolded her.

 _Sorry!_ Marinette hunched down in shame and picked clothes from her bag. _It’s so new to me._

‘ _It’s not that new. Think of the Masquerade. You always_ _have to be careful of what you speak of and where.’_

She did, but even the masquerade did not feel so burdening. She picked her shirt and slid the sleeves on before buttoning it from behind. She probably should have just gone for magic, but she had personally made this shirt for her monster form as a sewing exercise, and it felt wrong not to use it occasionally.

‘ _And to answer your questions, I don’t know. I can feel that Plagg and I have known each other for a long time, but my oldest memories are with Brigitte as my partner. Plagg may know more.’_

 _Are you related to the Amalgamates, do you think?_ Marinette asked with a frown. _Plagg is a human soul, after all, and Chat said the Amalgamates were made from soul experiments… did Hawkmoth_ make _you? Is that why he’s after you?_

‘ _I don’t know, but I don’t think so. I don’t believe Hawkmoth even knew the earrings and the ring were what gave Chat Noir and Ladybug powers. His goal seemed to have been to capture them to find out…’_ A wave of sadness spread into Marinette’s being _. ‘… But even then… Brigitte…’_

Marinette swallowed, getting out of the stall and heading out to the yard for her PE class.

_Do you think Hawkmoth knows? About her… about her being gone?_

‘ _I honestly have no idea…’_

What was the best case scenario? That this ‘Hawkmoth’ knew about Brigitte’s fate, or did not? Marinette decided that at this point, it may be for the best that he did not. If he did not know about the earrings and their powers being transferable to someone else, he had less of a reason to use lethal force on Chat Noir and herself.

Without either of the original Ladybug and Chat Noir to help, the two new holders would be struggling already. But at least, Marinette was not going through this alone. To think the closest person she could relate with would be a monster…

 _Is Hawkmoth a human, or a monster?_ A human would wish for the earrings… and a monster possibly for the ring, but who could benefit from gaining both?

‘ _We don’t know. I think Plagg believes he’s human. But at this point, all we know is that he was the head of the hidden lab we took down, and that he has a moth-like monster form. We never successfully got close.’_

“Hmm…” Marinette breathed out a sigh and looked around the yard. Most of her classmates were out already. Kim’s tail was wagging and he was barking excitedly at Alix. Alix was looking smug on her thin roller-skater legs, her reptilian tail straight. In the corner, Nathan was drawing Max and Markov who were both chatting animatedly, his skeletal fingers holding his pen racing on the pages.

They were almost all here. The black knight form of Mr. D’Argencourt could be seen from the higher ground, eyeing his pupils critically. Marinette proceeded to stretch all her limbs.

 _Hawkmoth aside, why keep the earrings and the ring a secret, Tikki?_ Marinette asked, her eyes wandering around. _With the powers they grant, other humans getting earrings like that would mean they would no longer need to eat monsters ever again to use magic! And even the ring’s power. If other accidental monster/human fusions could be reversed through the same way-_

‘ _You_ mustn’t tell anyone _!’_ Tikki insisted loud enough to make Marinette’s bug form flinch. ‘ _Sorry!… But I meant what I said, Marinette. The ring, and_ especially _the earrings, are too dangerous for anyone to know about now. You’re a good person, so you can see the good it would bring if there were more… but there are equally bad groups in the world who would use it… use_ me… _for nefarious purposes. Magic is not only useful to hide.’_

Marinette winced, recalling what she heard and read about in the Burrows. She thought she knew what Tikki was talking about. There were human supremacy groups. Those who resented monsters for winning the war and forcing humans into becoming dependent on dust to mingle on the surface. And those groups would certainly love a tool that would allow them to both use magic and kill off the monsters in order to take over for good.

Not everyone loved peace. And she had an inkling some of the monsters who knew about the dust-eaters felt the same way those groups did. Not like Marinette could blame them.

… _Not to mention Plagg is a human soul,_ Marinette realized in horror. _If nefarious monster groups found out how to weaponize human souls to use against ourselves…_

‘… _Yes. Plagg is not in a situation a soul should be put in. Like I said, he’s different from me.’_

Marinette tried to picture being trapped inside a ring for the rest of her afterlife and felt sick. She had found a new respect for the grumpy human sharing his body with Chat.

… _The four of you had a lot of history together, hadn’t you?_

‘… _Yes. We do,’_ Tikki agreed, letting through a wave of nostalgic affection.

It must have been weird to switch hosts after all this time. Marinette thought the world had turned upside down, but it had not been easy for Plagg and Tikki either. They were at the mercy of two kids’ choices. Marinette gazed up the blue sky in wonder.

… And caught a glimpse of a black tail flickering from the roof. She stopped stretching and squinted her large bug eyes at where the familiar shadow had disappeared.

‘… _Was that… Chat Noir?’_ Tikki wondered. Marinette hummed.

_Seems like it._

‘ _In broad daylight, this is not wise.’_

 _I wonder if he’s looking for som-_ Marinette saw a familiar face peek through a class window before it vanished again. Her eyes widened. The human kid from yesterday! The renegade… They were still in the school!

It was a miracle no monsters felt their aura at this point… but the longer they stayed in the open, the more likely they were to be found out… or worse… more likely to _kill_.

She had to do something! The classroom was high up. She could not leave now that her lesson was about to begin, but hopefully-

“Hey, Marinette! Whassup, girl?”

Marinette shut down a ‘meep’ sound and nearly tripped over her own legs when she saw Nino closely followed by an _as gorgeous as ever_ Adrien. She forgot to breathe for a few seconds, then blinked her shock away when Nino waved one bulky arm before her.

“Earth to Marinette? You doing good?”

“Yes! Good! Very good! To see. You. I mean… Because. That’s… what we do at school!” She laughed nervously, trying with all her might to keep her attention on the turtle before her and not the pretty golden cat who was looking at her with _the softest of smiles!_ “We see each other! A lot. And not _see_ see each other, I mean!” She waved her arms around and _fluffbun!_ She was buzzing again! “Just see. Each other. As classmates.”

Nino gave her a wide-eyed look after this performance and chuckled, a hand on his neck.

“We sure do, girl… Speaking of classmates…” He looked around. “Where’s Alya?”

“Oh. She’s… running late today,” Marinette informed Nino with a giggle, trying her best to still her wings and not look like any more of a doofus in front of Adrien. She was not exactly surprised Alya had contacted her this morning to tell her she would take time to arrive, given what happened the day before, but it was still unusual.

“Huh. I guess I’ll talk to her about marathoning the new Hunting Spear episodes with us la-”

“Oh my fluffbun, guys!” Alya’s excited voice rang through the yard as she ran toward the three of them, waving her phone. “You won’t believe what I’ve managed to snap by on the way here!”

The fox practically threw herself into Marinette’s arms as the two boy monsters were watching. Marinette was trying her best to not fall on her carapace from the momentum. Nino crossed his arms.

“Lemme guess, this is about those two ‘heroes’ from yesterday again? Ladybug and that other dude?”

“Chat Noir,” Alya corrected, looking up in surprise at Adrien when he said the name at the same time. Adrien’s ears flattened a bit and he laughed.

“I, uh, _did_ check the blog you sent us, Alya,” he explained. The fox’s expression brightened.

“You have? Great! I’m glad at least _someone_ here did.” She jabbed her elbow in Marinette’s midsection playfully, which prompted an eye-roll out of her.

“It hasn’t even been two days since you’ve seen them, Alya.”

“Maybe not, but the two of them have been spotted before!” her friend replied, shoving her phone in Marinette’s face. “Look at that! This was taken in Eytoe two months ago! I knew Ladybug and Chat Noir seemed familiar. They’re real life urban legends!”

The picture was grainy due to the darkness, but the black-spotted red form of Ladybug trailed by her two floating ribbons was perfectly visible.

‘ _Brigitte…’_

Marinette felt a lump in her throat. The two male monsters looked over her shoulders at the video.

“I wonder why they came all the way here,” Nino pondered.

“To chase down the Amalgamate, probably,” Adrien replied before glancing at Alya. “That uh… that’s what they called the white creature that attacked the school yesterday, right?”

“Correctamundo!” Alya touched her phone screen a few times before showing the three another video. “I got this one from one of the monsters who had been trapped in the Amalgamate yesterday, and you can see Ladybug clearly naming it. Next time for sure I’ll have my phone at the ready so that I don’t have to beg for others’ footage!”

She had been filmed? She should have been more careful! But she had been distracted by Alya and by having to make a speech to everyone…

“Man, I can see some cat lineage from Chat Noir, but I can’t tell what Ladybug is from,” Nino commented, eyes on the screen as ‘Ladybug’ was speaking. “Like, it’s not a _bad_ look, but I haven’t seen it before. She should be easily recognizable even with a mask.”

“She’s probably just altering her form with magic to keep her identity a secret,” Adrien suggested, his arms crossed. “So is Chat Noir. They must have decided on a unified form. It would explain why their build is so similar.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Say, why do you think they wear a mask? What’s the issue with people knowing who they are?”

Alya gave a ‘hmm’ noise and shrugged.

“Maybe they just think it’s cool? Because I sure do.” She swiped a fist in the air. “They’re like the real life Hunting Spear! Chasing evil spirits in the streets and saving the innocent!”

“The Hunting Spear crew don’t wear masks, though.”

“Well, they should! Remember what happened when a dust-eater kidnapped Officer Jones’ sister in their home and forced him to accomplish a ritual to bring back the bad guy’s dead army?” The fox’s eyes widened and she showed her fangs in a wide grin. “Oooh, do you think Ladybug and Chat Noir could _actually_ chase after dust-eaters as well? Maybe real life dust-eaters exist too!”

“Alya, you watch too much TV,” Nino reprimanded with a head-shake. Adrien looked away and scratched his muzzle.

“Uh, guys? I think Mr. D’Argencourt is about to start his lesson.”

Marinette could kiss Adrien’s _beautiful mug_ to death for interrupting Alya, because the subject had gotten incredibly unpleasant. Alya flinched and stored her phone into her pocket.

“Ah, whoops! I’ve forgotten to change with all this! I’ll be right back!”

Marinette watched her friend go with a sigh. Having her best friend fawning over her ‘hero persona’ was flattering to a degree, but her extreme reaction was mildly uncomfortable. It was still a better subject than the Hunting Spear TV show, so she was not complaining.

Adrien and Nino paired together to exercise, to her great relief and disappointment. It may have been true that she had made ‘progress’ with ‘talking’ near Adrien, but she was nowhere near proper monster level in term of conversation. Waiting for Alya, Marinette moved to the side and continued her stretches.

She was close enough to be among the first to notice when Nathaniel’s sketchbook was slapped to the ground.

“Who said you could sketch me, creep?” Chloé’s shrill voice rose at the cowering skeleton, her antennae vibrating. “And in the middle of PE no less! Shouldn’t you be _running_?”

“I… I-I-I wasn’t sketching you-”

“Oh really?” The bee picked the fallen sketchbook and flipped through it with disinterest. She stopped on a page and her mandible quivered. A wide grin spread on her lips. “Oh. My. God. I can’t believe it!”

To Marinette’s regret, Chloé turned her attention to her.

“Hey! Dupain-Cheng! Get a load of this!” She showed a page covered with drawings of Marinette’s ladybug monster form. “Looks like that sack of bones is head over heels for you! Isn’t that _hysterical_?”

Nathaniel’s aura flushed with embarrassment and he tried to snatch his sketchbook. Chloé just held it further away.

“Hey! Give it back, Chloé!”

“It’s no wonder, really!” Chloé snickered, followed by Sabrina, a slime monster who constantly tagged along in her shadow. “I mean, you losers have to stick together, after all! I’d say you make the perfect couple!”

Nathaniel lunged at her, only to slip on Sabrina’s slime and for Chloé to evade capture again by flying up. She laughed out loud at the fallen Nathaniel.

Their struggles gained more attention this time. Marinette frowned and rushed to Nathaniel, helping him stand up. Ignoring Nathaniel’s blush and the other students’ stares, she focused on Chloé’s flying form.

“That’s enough, Chloé! Give Nathaniel his sketchbook back!”

“So that he can spend more school hours constantly drawing you? How vain can you get, Marinette! You just _love_ the attention, don’t you?” she mocked, waving the book in her hand.

“Chloé, you’re going over the line!” Adrien warned with a frown. Even at his worse, the cat monster did not seem to be able to get truly angry. Yet, he was the only one Chloé would occasionally listen to.

This time, Chloé flinched and looked down at Adrien, clutching the stolen item to her chest.

“But it’s for their own good, Adrikins! Don’t you want Nathaniel and Marinette to do well in class?”

“Par le fer!” Mr. D’Argencourt roared, his black armor clinging as he ran to the scene. His unique white eye barely visible under his helm settled on the flying bee, and his chest mouth grit its iron teeth. “What is going on here?”

“She stole my-”

“It’s an aiming exercise, mister!” Chloé cut Nathaniel, trying her best at looking innocent. “I just thought Nathaniel would need the training, as he’s so lazy with his bullet practice!” She gave the skeleton a nasty smile. “Why, I haven’t seen him do any magic work in years!”

Marinette felt an anger so deep it almost triggered her gag reflexes. Of all the things Chloé could pull. This was a new low.

Because bullet patterns were not a problem for monsters to pull off. But it depleted dust at an accelerated rate for a human.

And Nathaniel was the third and last human in their class. A human who did not come from the most well-off family.

And Chloé knew it.

Things were made all the worse when Mr. D’Argencourt looked at the setup in consideration and nodded.

“I suppose I can allow this duel.” He materialized his sword and pointed it at Nathan. “Go forth, young Nathaniel! And vanquish your foes as the monsters of old did!”

The skeleton looked sick. Marinette could picture his human body shaking under his monster form. Nino stepped forward, a hand up.

“Whoa, is this a Nathaniel-only offer, girl?” He smirked. “’Cuz I’ve got to get a try at this.”

The bee monster glared at him and showed him the sketchbook.

“Oh, sure! Go ahead! Get all your nasty wet bubbles on me! We’ll see how well this paper thing will last!”

That stopped Nino in his tracks. Marinette looked around, trying to find a solution. Alya was not back yet, but her flame bullets and Orange Magic would do no good in this situation either. Markov the ghost might be able to reach up to Chloé, but they were intangible, so they could not reclaim the book. Adrien looked too hesitant to shoot at his childhood friend directly, and none of the other monsters watching seemed to care much.

If only Marinette could try something herself… But like Nathaniel, she was human, and had to be careful of…

… Wait…

‘ _My magic is at your disposal,’_ Tikki confirmed again softly.

Excitement built in her chest. Her wings started to buzz. She tensed her legs and aimed.

The limits of yesterday were gone.

She sprung up, carapace opened wide and wings spread. Chloé’s bug eyes widened, but she had no time to evade Marinette’s assault when she sprayed a flurry of white insect pattern bullets in her insectoid face and snatched the sketchbook.

She barely paid any mind to the gasps coming under her as she soared, a manic grin on her face. Just as she flew past the school’s roof, she remembered where she was and looked down. They all looked so _tiny_ , Chloé included. The bee was staring at her with a mix of shock and horror.

She took a second to savor the moment before she circled down, sending sparkly flower bullets at the flabbergasted bee tauntingly before she stopped in front of Nathaniel. With a smile, she held the book to him.

“Here you go-ACK!”

She slipped on Sabrina’s slime and faceplanted on the ground, barely succeeding at keeping the book up.

“I’m fine. This is fine,” she told the slimy ground. Two pairs of furry hands helped her up.

She met Alya’s wide smile as Kim helped her stand up all the way.

“ _Holy fluffbun_ , girl!” Her fox friend exclaimed. “I knew you could fly, but I’ve never seen you go so high so fast! Have you been holding back on us?”

Kim barked in agreement.

“I’ll say! That was wild, girl! It went so fast I almost missed it!”

“T-thank you so much, Marinette,” Nathaniel said with a blush as he took his sketchbook back. He had an adoring look on his face.

Of course he did. He was one of the few who _knew_ the cost of such daring magic. The others in her class were just in admiration at her moves.

“Dude! You didn’t even let Chloé any chance at countering you!” Nino commented, a huge grin on his beak. “Watch out! Here comes Marinette! Faster than a speeding bullet!”

“That was amazing, Marinette!” Adrien added with a beautiful smile. She almost melted under his _enrapturing green gaze_. It was only when Mr. D’Argencourt rushed at her and took her by the shoulders that she was brought back to reality with a squeak.

“Par le fer! C’était grandieux! Spéctaculaire! This display of flying prowess would own you a place in the school flying squad, gente demoiselle!” He brought her closer to his face. “Please, do tell me you’ve made your application already!”

“Uh-uh no-I mean, not yet, hahaha…” She massaged her head, a rigid smile on her face. “Not that I… I mean, I’ll… look into it?”

“Tis the least you can do! A fast flier like you would make the school proud!”

She was still forcing a laugh when he finally released her and concentrated on the rest of the class. Massaging her sore arms, she considered it. _Should_ she go into flying class? Tikki said flying was okay, but she was still a human. Was it not dangerous? Not to mention the other humans at school might get suspicious of her if she started using all that magic all the time. Even Chloé who was an avid dust spender could never be this flashy.

… Speaking of Chloé, she was openly glaring at Marinette, even as the other monsters turned their attention to the class activity. Chloé knew Marinette was human, and she knew the dust cost for flying to a human. She was unaware of Tikki, so Marinette just looked like she had expanded four times the dose of a typical dust use for a day in less than a minute. She walked close to Marinette and passed her by, her antennas vibrating dangerously.

“You _disgust_ me, _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ ,” she muttered as she went by.

“The feeling’s mutual, _Chloé Bourgeois_ ,” Marinette sneered back.

There was something incredibly freeing at being able to stand up to her bully.

She reminded herself to check on the human hidden in the classroom higher up before the class was over. She hurriedly picked back her bag from the gym and climbed, pretending a bathroom break under the curious gaze of Alya.

Chloé saw her run through and openly snorted at what she believed this was about. Marinette was fine with her misconception. She had a job to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading this chapter!
> 
> Next update on Friday.


	7. Vigilantes, Renegades, Terrorists

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting, and for your kudos! Hope you enjoy this!
> 
> (Forgot to link [this chapter's gif](https://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/184625075232/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-7))

She was a bit out of breath when she reached the floor, but she found the classroom the human was hiding in with relative ease. Because the kid had not eaten dust recently, they had no way of covering the aura of their soul, and Marinette could feel it radiate even through walls. She was glad monsters did not know humans existed: if they did, she had a suspicion the kid would not have been able to hide for so long.

‘ _Human souls radiate so much strength when they’re uncovered…’_

_Yeah…_

Not only that, but their emotions were fully readable as well. Marinette could feel their anxiety rising through the door, as well as a resolution that sent chills down her spine. Even if they did not feel her aura, they could hear her approach. And for all the human knew, Marinette was a monster closing in on their hiding place.

And from the way their intent felt, they would aim for the kill if Marinette entered the classroom.

And it probably was not their first kill if they were a renegade.

A monster would be incredibly weak to such a human. A monster’s magic may be able to hurt an uncovered human, but a powerful killing intent combined with the physicality of a human body would tear through a monster’s form like paper. If their murderous intent was great enough, even a human _child_ could kill the most resilient monsters in one shot.

Marinette was no monster, however. And Marinette knew how to prevent the kid from murdering one. Cautiously, she looked around, and once she was sure to be alone in the corridor, she knocked softly on the door.

“Hey.” A flare of fear shone through the stranger’s aura. “I know you’re here. It’s okay. We’ve met each other two days ago. I gave you my vial.”

This was enough to make the aura shift to a cautious hope. Marinette took a breath.

“I’m coming in and I’ll unmask. Please, don’t attack.”

She waited a bit just in case. But when she was assured the killing intent was down, she opened the door and dropped her disguise just as she closed the door behind her. Her monster gym shirt ended up stuck in her human torso in a not so comfortable way, but she ignored it to look for the kid. She spotted their hunched form under a desk, their sickly yellow hands wrapped around their legs.

“… You came,” they finally said, squinting at Marinette when she approached. “I… for a moment, I thought I was dreaming.”

She gave them a smile, crouching before them. They could not have been older than four years younger than her, and she still had no idea if they were a boy or a girl. She supposed it mattered little.

“Is there a reason why you’re uncovered on the surface?” She asked softly. “I figured I gave you enough last time for you to make it to the Burrows.”

They shuddered, looking down.

“I… I’ve never been there. I don’t know how to get there. I… I ran out of dust. So I left home. I can’t go back now.”

Marinette bit her lips. This was a renegade, indeed. She had heard of those cases. Some hidden human villages from out of the monster cities had been destroyed following the town expansion. Their population was culled. Human governments from the monster cities had low tolerance for mass immigration. Human populations had to be kept in check for the monsters to not notice something was amiss. 

Some immigrants survived by finding ways to the Burrows, but many took drastic measures to stay on the surface, like killing monsters and feeding off pure dust to take their identities. Well-dosed dust reserves could easily last years, and the effect of pure dust included getting the memories and mannerisms of the monster you ate. They could replace monsters so well there were cases where the human forgot they were human, or tried to.

And there were cases, like this case probably was, where the illegal parents would kill a young monster and give the dust to their child to replace the dead monster before they were hunted down by the Watch and culled. The ‘cuckoos’, those children were called. That had happened before, but Marinette knew that the orphans were often found out years later when they ran out of dust.

Or they would continue to kill monsters and swap out forms and identity until a Hunter or a Watcher would find them. But hopefully, this kid would be spared this fate.

Marinette reached out for her bag and slowly pulled out her dust vial. The kid’s eyes followed her movement and they shook their head.

“No… I shouldn’t… You will-”

“It’s alright. I packed more this time,” she assured. Which she did, even if she had not touched it at all since yesterday. “Hand over the vial I gave you, I’ll transfer some.”

“You don’t have to do this…” They looked sad, but they gave her their vial anyway.

“I do, though. If I want to make sure there’s no death today.” She started transferring half of her dust reserve to their vial. “You will take it right away and cover yourself. Recess will begin soon. I’ll take you to the Burrows myself. Alright?”

Hesitantly, the kid nodded. When they gulped down part of the dust, they switched their form to that of a small insect-like whims. They looked up at her, trembling.

“I’m… I’m scared of going down there.”

Marinette nodded. She re-assumed her ladybug monster form, then hesitated and switched it around. She brought a bit of the feline form she had taken from Chat days before to make a new appearance. The last thing she wanted was to be stopped by Alya or her friends. The bell rang and she held out a paw.

“The first step is always the scariest, but I’ll be with you.”

With a small nod, the whims took her paw.

\--

Getting to one of the Burrows’ entries did not take too long from the school. Françoise-Dupont was attended by quite a few humans after all, and the poorest lived in the Burrows. The hardest part for Marinette was to keep herself from saying anything as the kid she was dragging was crushing her hand.

Her current form was limping a little. You were not supposed to create a new disguise in less than a minute, and she did it without a mirror. Thus, she had no doubt that her cat-bug form had a face only a monster could love. Humans could find any sorts of monsters appealing, but they were still attracted to relative symmetry, at the very least. And currently, one of her eyes was dragging on her cheek and making her vision all fuzzy.

They turned into the street beside a Cinnabun vendor. The rabbit tending it gave them both a curious look, but made no comment. Marinette slalomed through glowing eggs and unlit crystals until reaching one particular alcove on a wall where a sleeping dog statue laid. Marinette stopped beside it and put a paw on its head, caressing the small heart with a piercing arrow that had been crudely carved into it.

“This is the mark you will need to look for,” she told the kid in a mutter. “The Burrowers have a thing for real animals for companionship, so you will also see representations of them close to the mark.”

The bug whims nodded and trembled.

“W-will you come with me?”

Marinette knew she should not, because she had classes to attend to. She also knew she had been accepting to help this kid as one of her responsibilities, and she was not going to quit now. Her parents did not have to know about that, did they?

“Let’s go.”

They passed the dog and went into the alcove. Their bodies went through the wall’s illusion and they landed into a dimly lit tunnel. The kid gasped, but Marinette pulled them. To her credit, she only slipped once. At the end of the tunnel, she touched a glowing red button and put the kid’s hand on it as well. She felt her aura being probed by the magic sensors, and she released her monster form, prompting the kid to do the same.

The scan was unpleasant, but it did not last long. When the stone under her finger turned green, the end of the tunnel slid to the side, uncovering the noisy large underground lit by glowing crystals. She gave the kid a reassuring smile as she took them into the crowd.

Marinette had a vague idea as to where she could bring them. The Watch quarters was the most logical place. They dealt with illegals all the time. On the surface, they would possibly kill the renegade, but if the kid asked for citizenship underground, Marinette was fairly sure their past would be overlooked at their age. Humans could be ruthless with each other, but a society just could not hold up if minor ‘criminals’ had no chances of redemption.

Marinette did not want to think about what ‘crimes’ the kid she was helping was responsible for. At their age, they were unlikely to have replaced more than one monster.

‘ _What’s sad is for their adoptive monster family. They had no idea their kid was already a goner. And now, their kid just disappears for good without any of them knowing why. And no dust to mourn with.’_

_Yeah…_

At least, with the kid confessing, maybe the Watch could arrange for the monster family to find the ‘dust’ of their deceased kid and it would be left as that.

“Ah, there it is!” Marinette pointed at a Watch point, giving the kid an encouraging smile. “Come on, let’s go in.”

The kid was reticent, but they made no movements to pull away as Marinette went to talk with the receptionist and asked for a regulation. When the man tending it saw what this was about, he called people to take the kid in. When the renegade finally let Marinette’s hand go, it was sweaty and sticky.

“Things will be alright for them, right?” Marinette could not help asking the man as the kid was dragged out of view. “I-I mean, they haven’t hurt anybody since they ran out. They just hid until I found them.”

The man grunted and looked down at his papers.

“Should be, yeah. It’s the third case we’ve had this month. I’m guessing they were all from the same immigration wave.”

With a sigh, Marinette let her eyes wander, until she caught the sight of her face on a wanted poster on the wall. She felt the blood drain from her face.

She was wearing her black spotted mask, but this was undoubtedly her. Except this was not. This was _Ladybug_. Beside her poster was Chat Noir’s. They were just drawings, but the resemblances were impossible to ignore.

The receptionist noticed her distraction.

“Hmm? Why’re you still here, kid?” He turned before Marinette could articulate more than a syllable and saw the posters. “Oh.”

She strangled herself on her excuse. Fluffbun, he had noticed! Soon he would realize! She grasped her bag, trying to formulate a plan of action…

To her surprise, the man snorted and turned back to face her.

“Ah, yeah. They’ve been spotted in town. Attacked a school, I believe? Some terrorists from Eytoe. They’ve been active for more than a year, but no Watchers or Hunters have been able to catch ‘em.” He gave her a wry smile. “Heard they’ve been trying to pass themselves as ‘heroes’ in front of monsters. Can you believe that?”

It took everything out of Marinette to calm her heartbeat and relax. She forced out a giggle, a hand on her chest.

“Oh. Yeah. They were seen at the school I go to.” She glanced at the posters again. “Wh-what do you mean by ‘terrorists’?”

The man shrugged, his hands wandering on the papers at his desk.

“Just the usual disturbances some renegades do. Only flashier. They burned down a government-financed monster research lab too, I think? What’s getting on everyone’s nerves is that no one is sure of what they really are, or what they really want. They use a lot of magic for being humans, but they’re also too underwhelming for being fusions. Not to mention they keep hanging around those white creeps that had invaded Eytoe, so some believe they can control them too.”

Marinette nodded, swallowing. It was strange to hear of how they were perceived by the Watch. Watchers had mostly been a force of order in Marinette’s life. But now, she was an official criminal. It made something unpleasant stir in her chest.

“… Do you… do you think they’re trouble? I mean…” She bit her lips and fidgeted nervously. “Yes, we _know_ they’re trouble. Terrorists and all. Wh-what I mean is, how much trouble, do you think really? As in, how looked for are they? By the Watch?”

The man gave her a curious look and shrugged.

“Well… me personally, I don’t think they’re the worst you could cross in the street. They _have_ been active for more than a year, after all, and the Masquerade is still holding without additional… ‘cleaning’ needed. That said, though, they’re always sighted with the white beings. And those are lethal. So if you cross one of them, I suggest you find a place to be safe and let the watch deal with this.”

“Right… a-and what about-”

“ _Marinette_?” a familiar voice cut her short. She squeaked and turned to face her mother, carrying a bag where papers were poking out.

“M-maman?”

Sabine’s wide eyes started to squint.

“What are you doing out of school, young lady?”

Oh. Right. School.

‘ _Uh, oh…’_

‘Uh, oh’ was right. So much for keeping secrets.

\--

As it turned out, it took very little for Sabine to calm down. All Marinette had to do was being truthful about the reason why she skipped school. The receptionist was also here to confirm that Marinette had brought them a renegade from the surface. And as Marinette confirmed the kid was the same one involved in the incident that made her late two days ago, her mother could do nothing but be proud of how responsible her daughter had acted.

“It’s a shame you had to skip, and I hope this is not going to become a recurring issue with what’s happening,” Sabine told Marinette as they exited the Watch building. “… But holding the Masquerade is more important than a few missed hours of school. I’ll call them to say we needed you for a family issue. That should do the trick.”

Marinette nodded and let out a sigh of relief. She may not be able to tell everything to her mother, but they shared enough of a secret life for her to be understanding.

She thought back to the wanted posters and wondered how her mother would take to her daughter being a wanted criminal.

“So, what were you doing at the Watch post, maman?” she asked instead as they went through the Burrows’ street. Sabine looked down to her bag with a sad expression.

“Oh. Well… there are still some things left to take care of about the unoccupied loft in Eytoe. The Watch wanted a signed accord for us to allow them to look through it more thoroughly… and I took the opportunity to get some related documentation they hadn’t released yet.”

The loft in Eytoe. Brigitte’s loft. A rent, of course. Marinette’s lips pursed. Dared she ask? She knew how close her mother had been with her sister… and Tikki needed every piece of memory she could get. She decided to go for it.

“Did… did you find out how she…?”

Sabine’s hand flinched on her bag, but she kept walking. After a short silence, she sighed.

“I’ve had access to the report. Tom hasn’t seen it. It… seems like it was a blunt trauma to the chest causing internal hemorrhage. She… was left in her home without being able to heal herself. But the report said it took a while. They’re not sure what hit her.”

Marinette nodded. It was as hard for her to hear as it was for her mother to say it, but she was glad she was allowed to know. She knew her parents occasionally kept things from her. Things they thought would be too harsh. They did it less and less now. At this point in her life, knowing was more useful.

“There were no dust reserves in her home, and the door was unlocked, even if there was no sign of a break-in. That’s why they believe the culprit was a burglar.”

It made sense. For anyone who was unaware of Tikki, anyway. But the earrings were in her home, so why did Brigitte not heal herself if it took her a long time to… to die?

Marinette felt Tikki’s shared confusion, as well as her discomfort. Marinette did not know Brigitte that well, but Tikki did.

And so did her mother. Sabine was biting her lips, clearly masking her pain. Marinette reached out to her and took her hand. Sabine gripped it back.

“You… you don’t remember, but Brigitte used to spend a lot of time at home when you were little,” Sabine suddenly said, a small smile on her lips. “She used to take you with her and babysit you when we were busy trying to make the bakery work. You were like the baby sister she never had. And the only reason she would mingle with monsters after she decided she would stay a Burrower.”

Marinette listened. It was a life she did not remember having, and suddenly, she really wanted to learn more. She knew her mother and Brigitte had been children when their parents arrived as immigrants to the Burrows. She knew they had to leave their village because it was threatened by the construction of a new monster town. She knew her mother fell in love with her father when they went to school together, and he brought her to the surface to run the bakery.

Marinette’s life may had taken a turn for the strange, but her parents had to live through their own trials.

“… Marinette, sweetie.” They stopped in front of a tunnel leading to the surface. “Things… may be hectic nowadays… but I want you to know that your father and I are here for you if you want to talk.” She looked at Marinette straight into her eyes. “Teenage years are already a trying time without including white creatures attacking in the streets, or strangely dressed people running on the town’s roofs. Know that if you ever need to talk to us about anything, we’re here, and we’ll listen. Alright?”

Marinette reached for an earring, feeling Tikki’s worries and compassion for her situation. She loved her mother. She loved her parents deeply. The knowledge that she had their trust and support was now as comforting as it was hurting. She wanted to spill everything. She wanted to tell them about Ladybug and Chat Noir. She wanted to tell her about Tikki and Brigitte.

‘ _Marinette…’_

She forced a bright smile.

“I know. Thanks for being here for me, maman.”

They did not speak of the subject again as they left the tunnel for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, a big thanks to [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with this story, and [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading this chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> Next update on monday.


	8. States of Secrecy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your Kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

Marinette… or rather, ‘Ladybug’, as she should have started to think of herself, landed on a rooftop with ease, her pink wings glittering under the moon. Tikki and Plagg had both agreed that their new holders should take some time during the night to train together. It was also a decent time to ‘patrol’, as Chat Noir had said. Amalgamates could appear at any moments of the day, but at night, the streets were emptier, so this made for easier chases. So far, all Ladybug had seen from up there were a few stragglers, potentially humans enjoying a stroll.

Some monsters were more nocturnal than others, but Syrrup’s population tended to sleep early. This did not bother Ladybug. Vibrating her wings, she launched herself in the air with a subdued shout, tasting the fresh air of the night, reaching for the stars. It was like she could touch them. Looking around at the glimmering drops above, she was wondering which one she would pick for Adrien.

If she could, she would choose one to be for him alone.

“Careful with flying, my lady. People may realize you’re an angel in disguise.”

She turned to the voice and spotted her partner on a nearby rooftop, leaning on a round chimney. With a slight smile, Ladybug lowered herself to his level.

“That’s the second time you’re comparing me to an angel, kitty. Is that your type?”

He kept an eye closed as he watched her.

“The only type I have is you. You just bring out the best out of this alley cat.”

She quirked an eyebrow up and raised a hand at him.

“Well, the best can be shared. How about you bring your own wings out? We’ll cover ground faster.”

He laughed.

“Thank you for the offer, but this cat’s feet are best put to use on solid ground.”

“I didn’t expect the kitty to get scared of heights.”

He snatched her hand before she could react and planted a kiss on her knuckle.

“With you by my side, I’m not scared of anything.”

She rolled her eyes with a snort, directing her attention on the streets below.

“Well, I suppose we can test this now. This patrol-thing awaits us.”

“Lead the way, my lady.”

She chuckled, but did not reply as she flew forward. She had decided she loved flying, but even with that, the night made her nervous. Her vision was reduced, and the prospect of having to fight Amalgamates again was not exactly rejoicing.

But she had agreed to take over the Ladybug’s mantle, and the cat monster’s presence beside her was reassuring. She was about to ask him if he took better than her to the fact that they were two wanted criminals by the Watch, but then realized he probably was not even aware of it as a monster.

She was pondering the merit of telling him when he spoke.

“So, Ladybug, Plagg and I have discussed a few things about this… arrangement of ours…”

“Ah?”

He stopped on a snowy rooftop with small decorated pine trees on it. She took a turn and landed a few steps away from him, her feet sinking on the warm magical snow. Chat brought a hand to his neck the way he seemed to do whenever he was nervous.

“Yeah… Um, so I was thinking… You and I, we… we’re sharing a lot. We’re into this whole ‘getting possessed by jewelry things to fight against mashed-up creatures’ and all. We don’t really have anyone else but the two-well, technically _four_ of us to talk about it. It’s kind of a lot to deal with.”

“… Yeah. That’s true.” Ladybug rubbed her arm and looked to the ground. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

“Hmm… well… yeah. Among other things…”

She raised an eyebrow at the blond boy.

“Other thing?”

“What do you think of telling each other who we are?”

He was looking at her with a hopeful smile. She blinked.

“… You mean, who we are in everyday life?”

“Yes!”

“Why?”

The question was out before she could think about it, and he faltered. She watched him cross his arms and draw a small snow circle with his paw.

“Well… it might just make things easier, you know? For communication purposes. Or, if either of us has a problem, we’ll be able to discuss it. There’s no real point in hiding who we are from each other now, is there?”

Ladybug had not even considered the issue, now that she thought about it. Chat Noir had first appeared as a potential threat to her, and now, he was the one person she could trust about Brigitte’s secret life and the Amalgamates. But neither of this changed something very important to Ladybug’s mind.

“You’re a monster, aren’t you?”

“Well… yeah. You know that.”

She sighed and shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t think that’s wise at all.”

He scowled.

“Are you saying this because you’re a dust-eater and I’m not?”

“Mostly, yeah,” she admitted with a shrug. “We have rules for this.”

He reeled back at her answer, before putting a hand on his hip.

“Well, excuse-me if I feel like the fight against the Amalgamates, who prey on _both_ our kinds, is more important than hiding from each other just because of some rules.”

She sighed at his tone. She was not even angry about it.

“What do you really know about dust-eaters, Chat?”

“I know you use monsters’ dust to hide among us. I _also_ know you’re actually humans who survived the legendary war.”

“… You know about that, huh?” She looked away.

“Plagg told me.”

Of course he did.

‘ _Marinette, ask him what Plagg thinks about this.’_

Ladybug nodded and looked at Chat Noir.

“And what does Plagg think about you revealing your identity to me.”

Chat bit his lips and shrunk down.

“He… thinks it’s a bad idea,” he admitted. “He says the more we know about each other, the more of a threat to each other we’ll become… but-”

“But he’s right,” Ladybug agreed, sending a grim look to the ground. “You knowing about dust-eaters as a monster already puts you in great danger. But if we add you knowing about who really has the earrings, and I knowing who really had the ring… if anyone captures us, we’ll become a danger to each other.”

“We only have to worry about Hawkmoth-”

“No, Chat, it’s not just Hawkmoth. Tikki and Plagg are really too precious. Anyone with bad intentions capturing and torturing us could lead to the both of us being taken. That’s not even thinking about the issues in between humans and monsters.”

At the mention of ‘torture’, Chat cringed.

“I… you really think they would…”

Ladybug sighed and massaged her head.

“What do you think will happen if I’m caught and discovered by monsters, Chat Noir?”

“I… I don’t know… I guess… they would know about-”

“I’d get killed,” she cut him, locking her eyes into his. “And if the monsters who found me aren’t certified hunters, _they_ will be dusted as well. There have been many cases of humans breaking the Masquerade one way or another. But it doesn’t matter if no one who finds out is left alive to talk about it. You’re _not_ the first monster to find out about us.”

That seemed enough to shock Chat into silence. He was looking at her in a way he had not before. She could not determine the specific emotion his aura was giving out.

Ladybug swallowed and sighed. She traced a circle of her own in the snow with her foot.

“Tikki said to me: ‘no one must know’ the first time I put the earrings on. I know why. No one can know. Not even my parents, who know everything about being dust-eaters. Not even _they_ can know about this. I-if they knew… they would have the additional pressure of knowing about what I do, and what happened to… to the previous Ladybug. If they knew, they could get tortured for information as well. If they knew, they would worry and slip up like I’m always afraid of doing.”

She crouched down, tracing a smaller circle inside the other one.

“If I know about your identity, I’m not only putting _you_ in danger. Your loved ones will be as well. And if you know…if you know, my loved ones are put at an even bigger risk. Both from the earrings, and from being dust-eaters who broke the Masquerade.”

There was a moment of shared silence before Chat crouched down at her side, a claw retracing his snow circle.

“… I’m sorry,” He muttered. “I… I thought Plagg was just… I didn’t realized how serious… I just… I’m sorry.”

A soft smile grew on Ladybug’s lips. Of course he did not. Monsters could not know enough to realize. It was by design in this world. His naivety was not Chat’s fault.

“I think… I think I trust Plagg and Tikki with knowing best about this. They want us to stay alive, you know?”

“I… yeah… they do. I know.”

“That doesn’t prevent us from sharing everything we can about Ladybug and Chat Noir either,” she added, tracing a line in between her circle and Chat’s. She gave the monster a smile. “Don’t be so down about it. We’re still partners, aren’t we?”

He stared at her and smiled before taking her hand and kissing it again.

“The best of all, my lady.”

She playfully pushed back on his nose before standing up and shaking the snow off her.

“Well, if we’re on the same page, I think it’s time I share with you and Plagg some things I learned today about Ladybug… the previous one.”

Chat’s expression turned serious and he stood as well.

“What can you tell us?”

She told them all she could about her aunt’s death. Minus Ladybug’s real name. Tikki helped her from accidentally giving it away at least two times. Chat Noir listened with a frown.

When she finished, he let his foggy tail swipe at the snow.

“So, she died at her home, but the earrings were found here as well? And she didn’t try and heal herself?”

“Yeah…that’s what’s puzzling me,” Ladybug said with a nod, her arms crossed. Chat’s expression switched rapidly like he was hearing something before he raised a claw.

“Plagg just told me Tikki’s magic needs to get replenished by having her host eat food. Do you know if there was food around her? Because without it, it’s possible Tikki’s reserve ran dry.”

Ladybug blinked.

“Ah. I don’t know… it’s possible…”

She sent out a questioning feel at Tikki, but the spirit felt unconvinced.

‘ _I don’t remember when Brigitte took off the earrings, exactly, but you saw from the files your mother had that she had the earrings off when she was found. I can’t get my magic back without being worn. Also, I know I had my magic reserve full when I woke up to you, since I managed to turn you into Ladybug.’_

Ladybug listened and relayed Tikki’s words to Chat. After she finished, she saw Chat Noir frowning ahead like he seemed to do whenever he was having a private conversation with Plagg. His face contorted into an annoyed grimace and he sighed.

“Aw, come on, Plagg! Hiding away things like that from each other is _not_ helpful!” Chat looked at Ladybug. “He- _urg_. Fine.” Chat rolled his eyes and switched stances. Ladybug was starting to recognize the subtle change that announced Plagg had taken over. “I guess that’s something you should know. The last Amalgamate that attacked Ladybug and Chat Noir two weeks ago seemed to have tracking abilities.”

A chill went down her spine.

“Tracking?”

“Yeah. Like a dog of some sort. Whenever Chat Noir or Ladybug went active, it would follow them.” Plagg crossed Chat’s arms. “There hadn’t been any Amalgamates since we took out the lab, so we were taken by surprise. Ladybug and Tikki devised a strategy to confuse it. When Ladybug was active, Chat Noir was inactive, then we switched out whenever the Amalgamate was coming too close to either targets. It meant Chat Noir and Ladybug had to be separated. But they had to keep at it, since ‘Catastrophe’ did not seem to work on it.”

Catastrophe. Chat Noir’s move was countered? She bit her lips at that information. It had seemed like such a powerful ability. For it to not work…

“Either way, part of the plan involved f-Chat Noir to find something he knew was in Syrrup. He had to get the ring off for a time to be completely impossible to track. If the jewelry was worn, the Amalgamate could still track them…” Plagg closed his eyes. “But…”

“… But Chat Noir never put the ring on again,” she completed. “And B…Ladybug was all alone…”

A silence fell in between all four of them. Chat Noir suddenly jerked up and glared.

“You shouldn’t have kept this from us, Plagg! What if that tracker Amalgamate attacked again?”

“I agree,” Ladybug said, clenching her fists. “You should have told us something so dangerous was running around! What if they tracked us home?”

“I didn’t because there’s no way we would all still be here if that thing was still around,” Chat Noir, or rather Plagg, retorted, his eyes locked on Ladybug. “Think about it. My kid had the ring for almost two weeks now, and he can’t even get it off. He’s giving out an active signal all the time, and that thing did not show up. The only way this is possible is if the previous Chat’s plan worked and your predecessors disposed of it before Ladybug gave up her life. As for why I didn’t want to mention it…”

He grimaced and looked away in frustration.

“It’s already a pain to involve kids. The last thing we need is unnecessary worries. In between Tikki’s memory losses and getting the fusion off that kitten, we’ve got our hands full without having to think about the worst.”

The frustration and pain he was giving out made Ladybug’s compassion swell. She felt Tikki’s will to take over and comfort her companion, but it never reached out from Ladybug’s muscles. Chat’s body relaxed when Plagg retreated. Chat gave Ladybug a look which conveyed he regretted his outburst to Plagg.

Ladybug reached out to Chat Noir and put a hand on his shoulder.

“It’s… it’s hard for all of us. I’m sorry, Plagg. It must be hard for you to be the only one left with all the knowledge. I… I know it’s always difficult for adults to find the right things to tell children at the right time.”

Her thoughts went to her parents and how they were always careful to approach subjects of the masquerade with her. How sometimes, they hid harsher realities of it for years to spare her worries.

She then thought of how she had started to do the same for them and she pursed her lips.

“But regardless of everything else right now, Chat Noir and I are your new partners,” she continued, boring her eyes into Chat’s widened ones. “And even with the weird circumstances, we…I…we chose to accept the responsibilities. And I’m not saying I’ll be any good as the new Ladybug…” She retracted her hand from Chat’s shoulder and clenched her fists. “But I’m willing to give it my all for this. For the old Ladybug’s memories and my parents’ safety. And for Chat and Tikki. And for your sake. I’m just asking you to give us all you have so that we can be of any help!”

She tried to look for any signs of Plagg, but all she could see was Chat’s wide-eyed adoration. When she noticed the red blush on his human cheeks, she felt heat coming to her face as well, and she hurriedly took a step back.

“W-what I meant was that we need everything we can to restore Tikki’s memories...s-so don’t hold back on us? Maybe some of what you know could trigger some recollection from Tikki?”

‘ _Oh, Marinette…’_ Tikki’s presence coiled around her soul protectively.

Chat’s stance switched and he groaned.

“I hate having to be the one to explain everything,” he complained with a moan. “Fine. I’ll get some time during the night patrols to tell you more about what we used to do. I guess it’ll help you understand things even if it doesn’t do anything to restore Tikki’s miraculous.”

Ladybug felt Tikki’s short flash of remembrance at the term.

“…Miraculous?”

“Tikki’s earrings. They were probably damaged in Ladybug’s last fight and that’s why her memories are faulty. Don’t concern yourself with this. It really doesn’t matter, since they seem to work now.” Plagg waved a hand dismissively. “What we should think about now is communication. The kid is right when he said you two need to be able to get into contact with each other more easily.” He brought a palm up, letting a black swarm of magic form into it. “The old Ladybug and Chat Noir had their own, but since you two are new holders, we’ll need to remake the magic so that we can make long distance communicators. I’ll withdraw and let the kid show you, Ladybug.”

She watched as Chat’s expression switched again and he groaned, massaging his head.

“Yeah, thanks a lot, Plagg,” he grumbled.

“Can he just… take over you at any time like that?” Ladybug asked in worry.

“Yeah… I mean, we can basically fight for control and I think we’d come off as equal, but he never takes over apart from talking with you and eating cheese, so this isn’t the worst…” He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll explain to her everything about the com magic. Hang on.”

As Ladybug watched him do so, she wondered if Tikki could ever become as ready to take over as Plagg.

‘ _I can’t take control without you letting me,’_ Tikki confirmed to reassure her. ‘ _Unless it’s for small parts of the body, and only if you’re not paying attention. I’m not a soul, like I said.’_

 _Did you know your earrings were called a ‘Miraculous’, Tikki?_ Ladybug asked as she copied the magic Chat was doing. _For a moment, it seemed like you recalled something._

‘ _I did yeah. It’s very familiar. Although I’m not sure if this is just about the earrings…’_

_What do you mean?_

‘… _I don’t know.’_

“By the way… I… I’m sorry about your loss.”

“Huh?”

“About Ladybug,” Chat Noir elaborated as they were synchronizing their communication magic, colorful bullets coalescing into their palms. “The first one. You…” His ears flattened and he looked down. “Plagg told me you were probably family. I… I’m sorry you had to lose her.”

Ladybug observed her partner for a moment before nodding with a grunt.

“It was a shock, yeah… I didn’t know her that well, but my… my parents did. She sounded like a good person.”

“My… I lost someone close to me, too,” he confessed, his gaze on his clawed hand. “About a year ago. It’s… even now, it’s hard.”

Ladybug put an arm on his shoulder and pressed it softly. It was funny how natural the contact felt in between them. She figured that running for your dear life and fighting against a huge creature together tended to bring people closer. Even humans and monsters.

Chat Noir put his hand on hers and gave her a small smile.

“I have to confess, though… in spite of everything else… I feel like things are starting to get better. I feel it especially now.”

When their eyes met, Ladybug felt his aura flow with feelings she was unsure she completely understood. She gave him a small frown.

“Chat-”

A scream rang in the night. The two of them tensed and looked toward the brightly lit source. Chat materialized his baton.

“Looks like we’ve got an unpleasant cat-call to answer to.”

Gulping, Ladybug clenched her fists to calm her fear, and activated her wings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thank you, [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/), for helping me with this story, and to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading it!
> 
> Next update on Friday.


	9. Syrrup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

The greatest leaves of the Syrrup Tree were lighting the night like festive lanterns. In the darkness, the giant maple tree was the town’s amber beacon. It had been planted and carefully grown a thousand years ago by the head a of a merchant family named Ifelfe, after a catastrophic flooding destroyed the town’s previous field of crops. Up to the present day, it was revered for the hope that it had brought to this world as much as the sustenance it was still providing.

Tonight, Marinette wished it would bring her the former, as well as a side of luck. Anything that could help her locate the white mass of concentrated magic hiding in its foliage.

“Fluffbun,” she whispered behind gritted teeth, not for the first time tonight. Her only listener was coiling her presence around the soul inside her, somewhat calming the beats of her heart.

_ ‘Courage,’  _ Tikki mentally muttered,  _ ‘You can do it.’ _

Ladybug buzzed her wings further, and flew closer to the town’s beacon. She had been there quite a few times, both at night, and during the day. It had always been with her parents, however. She had fond memories of tasting the sweetest of elixirs from the large basins the tree had been shaped with.

… And as a scream just reminded her, she was not the only one visiting the famous tree.

She reflexively clenched her fists, and flew through the leaves. She located the white mass standing on a platform, and, paying no mind to the two monsters it towered over, delivered a mighty kick. The form was projected away in a blast of magic, and she landed on the wooden planks, concentrating her communication magic on her palm, eyes locked on the beast.

“Chat, I found it. It’s on the third story up North. I’ll keep it in check until-”

“Ladybug!”

“Manon! Stay here!”

Ladybug’s legs were tackled, making her stumble. She looked down at the little stitched monster still gripping her legs. Ladybug’s eyes widened in recognition.

“Ma-Manon!” She exclaimed. Oh fluffbun, why was  _ she _ here?

‘ _ Huh?’ _

__

The patchwork monster only gave her a wide smile and a laugh.

“I knew it! It’s like mom said on TV!”

“Manon, stay away from her!” The monster behind her screamed, her many eyes wide with fear. Ladybug also recognized that one.

“Na-Mrs. Chamack?” She asked, now holding Manon gently to pry her off her legs. “What are you doing here? It’s dangerous.”

The older monster stopped running to give Ladybug a wary look.

“How do you-oh, from TV, right.”

“Mommy! Ladybug watches you on TV too!” The small monster claimed as Ladybug handed her back to her mother. The bigger monster took her child and held her tight.

“That’s nice, dear. We need to go now-”

A shadow fell on them. Ladybug barely had the time to push the mother and daughter out of the way with a scream before the Amalgamate fell on her like liquid goo.

“Arg!” she screamed, trying to keep her head out of the white mass’s body. “Run! RUN!”

She did not look back to see if Mrs. Chamack and her kid had obeyed, too focused on keeping the creature from crushing her with its weight. She could feel it trying to pry Tikki’s magic defenses open and reach for Ladybug’s human soul. Ladybug took a large breath, and pushed with her legs. The beast rose up, and she scrambled away before it gave chase.

She rolled to the side, barely avoiding it again, and crouched up. The Amalgamate shifted, taking on a more bird-like appearance, its wobbly body standing up on a single leg, a unique eye blinking back at her. Its beak clacked and it lunged for a peck. Ladybug ducked to the side and punched it in the eye. Its head dissolved and imprisoned her fist in its gooey magic. She struggled to get away and reach for her compacts to use something. Anything.

“Catastrophe!”

Chat Noir appeared from above, his hand crackling with energy. Ladybug jumped back when he landed in front of her, his palm firm on the ground where, moments before, the Amalgamate had stood.

“Fluffbun! Missed!” he growled.

Said Amalgamate was now nowhere to be seen, and Ladybug was free of its hold.

… Also, the ground under them suddenly looked extremely frail.

“Ah. Oops.”

The floor burst into magic particles, and both Ladybug and Chat Noir fell, screaming. Her body hit something liquid and sticky. She closed her eyes when she was submerged into the sweet and heavy substance. She tried to swim up, but everything around her felt heavy. She was starting to panic when she felt Chat’s hand on her arm, and she was pulled up.

She drew a long breath and started coughing right as she was out of the syrup reserve. She looked up to see Chat holding her, coughing as well, holding onto his extended magic baton. He spat out some more syrup before squinting at her.

“Hang on,” he said in a hoarse voice as he weighed down on a side, aiming for the safety of the shore. When they had both safely landed, he retracted his staff as the two tried to wipe away the sticky syrup.

“Th-thanks,” Ladybug stammered. “Urg. Do you know any spell that cleans you up?”

“I could try to aim another Catastrophe at the syrup, but I’m too scared to miss again,” he confessed. “Sorry about that bath. I mean, I  _ did _ think of letting you bask in sweet gifts, my lady, but this is overdoing it.”

Ladybug spat out the rest of the syrup invading her mouth. She liked sweets, and so did Tikki, but she had her limits.

“Honestly, I’m just glad to be alive. I’d be done for if you hadn’t arrived as you did,” she confessed, trying, and failing, to get the syrup off her hair. “Amalgamates are so hard to face against.”

Chat nodded, his tail sweeping the air up as he held out his baton.

“Yeah, it’s why I made this. I don’t mind their company, but this helps with keeping your distance.” He gave her a disarming smile, and scratched behind his head. “I’m actually better with a sword, but slicing doesn’t work as well as I’d like against piles of goo.”

Ladybug looked at the baton, and nodded.

“Ah, right.” She looked up and tensed. “But where is it now?”

She materialized her wings and flew up to the previous floor, Chat Noir following on her tail with his extending staff. She tensed as she looked around, but neither her eyes, nor her aura were detecting the Amalgamate’s presence.

“Gone,” she muttered. “This isn’t good.”

“We’ll have to search everywhere in the tree again?” Chat’s brow furrowed. “That’s a pain.”

Ladybug bit her lips and she shook her head.

“Actually, I have an idea of where it might have gone, and this wouldn’t be good,” she confessed. “I just saved two people from being absorbed, and I think it might be after them.”

“There’s a lot of visitors even at this hour, yeah,” Chat agreed. “I had to warn a few to head down already, since no alarms rung yet.”

“I know, but those two are… well, they’re dust-eaters.”

“… Oh, Fluffbun!”

‘ _ Oh!’ _

“Since the Amalgamate couldn’t get me, it might try to get after them. We have to hurry — only one human soul would be bad, right?”

“Right!”

She zoomed through the tree’s tunnel, Chat Noir running on all fours beside her.

‘ _ So, that’s how you knew Manon and Mrs. Chamack?’ _ Tikki asked silently.

_ Yeah _ , Ladybug confirmed,  _ Nadja Chamack is a friend of my mom, and I sometimes babysit Manon for her. _ She bit her lips.  _ I don’t want to think about what might happen to them _ .

‘…  _ It’s a good thing this Mrs. Chamack is someone known on TV. Otherwise, you would have exposed your identity to her.’ _

… _ Sorry. I didn’t think- _

‘ _ That’s okay, Marinette. You’ll just have to be more careful next time.’ _

Ladybug swallowed. Tikki was right. She had been careless. Her preoccupation with saving the lives of people she knew had interfered with her duty as a protector.

She really needed to be more careful from now on.

“There!” Chat called out. She looked at where he pointed, and saw the mass of evacuating monsters run toward the central elevator of the tree, chased by the white beast. The transparent doors shut on the Amalgamate as it pressed to go inside, its mass spreading out, preventing the elevator from going down, in spite of the magic grinding the wires. The trapped monsters could only stare in terror at the creature behind the doors.

The two young heroes stopped, and Ladybug’s fists clenched.

“This is going to be tough. We don’t know how many among those monsters are humans in disguise, so none of them can get absorbed!”

Chat observed the situation, his ears flicking.

“I could try another Catastrophe, but if I miss it again, I might hit the elevator, and it might crash with the people in it.”

Ladybug squinted.

“If I get its attention again, we might be able to get the civilians to safety.” She shifted uneasily. “I’m not sure how good I would be in a fight against it, though.”

“You really should get a weapon, at least, according to Plagg.”

Ladybug’s eyes twitched and she gave her partner an annoyed look.

“Well, right now, I’m a little limited about what I can do. I can barely use Tikki’s magic.” She licked her lips, and looked at the Amalgamate uneasily. “Beside, I’m really only good for the cure spell. I’m not… I’m not sure how much the spells I have can help in a fight like this.”

She fell silent, her heart heavy. Chat took a moment to answer, but when he did, his voice was soft.

“Creation magic,” he said, “That’s what works better with Tikki, according to Plagg. He seems to think you’ve done alright so far with the spells the previous Ladybug created. So, it’s not just healing.” She looked at him, and saw him flex his claws. “Plagg’s best magic is Destruction magic. It may do some useful things, but it has its limits too. Probably more than yours and Tikki’s.” He looked up in her eyes. “I trust your plans, my lady. You have a quick wit.”

She felt her cheeks heat up at the trust behind his words, and shook herself off, smiling softly.

“Thanks, kitty.”

She looked back at the Amalgamate still trying to pry the door open. What could she do? She had the Aphidel which she needed to keep one magic charge for; she had the Lucky Break distraction, which could only work temporarily, and she had the Spring Swarm to give out a charge to Chat if he needed one.

“What are your built-in spells, Chat?”

“Well…” he raised up his fingers. “You’ve seen Catastrophe, which destroys magic, ‘Cat’s Cradle’ is the black hole trap spell, and there’s one called Cat-Walk.”

“Cat-Walk?”

“Yeah, it kinda works like the black hole one, except there’s two openings to make. Basically, I make one opening to one side, and I go to another place, and make the second opening, and it makes some dimensional shortcut. It’s working through the void aspect of-”

“How good are you with that one?” Ladybug cut him off, raising her fists up. “Because we’ll be needing that in a few seconds.”

Chat Noir blinked, and tensed up, turning to face the creature.

“Ready as soon as you need me to be, my lady.”

“Alright. Let’s do this!”

Not long after, she kicked the Amalgamate again, lightly this time. The shifting beast flinched, and turned its massive ‘head’ at where she was flying. She waved.

“Going up, sir?”

The beast roared and lunged. Ladybug dived down under its mass, the ceiling preventing her from keeping her distance. She rolled twice before the creature caught up with her, and she flew up again.

The frustrated Amalgamate shifted again into a bird-like form, and clacked its beak. Ladybug risked one short look at the elevator before the sharp bill narrowly missed her head. She reflexively tried to grab it, and felt its form dissolve into squishy mush. It wrapped around her arm, and started to drag her toward the Amalgamate.

“My lady!” Chat screamed from the elevator door he had pried open. “Hang on!”

“Don’t!” she screamed back as the beast was enveloping her. “Let me do it!”

She had the pretense of being a ‘hero of justice’, did she not? This was nothing.

She did not even bother throwing the compact in her hand. She just concentrated her magic on it, feeling Tikki’s spell warm it up.

“Lucky Break,” she muttered.

The compact exploded into a multitude of ladybug pellets, stunning the Amalgamate. The beast roared again, its hold on Ladybug slacking. She struggled out of it, and started running towards the elevator. A few monster civilians had peeked out of it. Chat quickly pulled them in, and waved at Ladybug.

“Hurry!”

Ladybug’s wings buzzed, and she zipped through the elevator opening. The Amalgamate, having recovered, turned to the elevator and sloshed to it.

The trapped monsters around the two heroes huddled in fear. Chat put a hand on the wall.

“Lead them out, bug. Cat-Walk!”

A black opening materialized in the wall. At any other time, Ladybug would have viewed the blackness with suspicion, but they were out of time. She gestured and started pushing the monsters in.

“Everyone, the exit is this way!”

The monsters caught on quick, but their time was short. The Amalgamate slammed into the door, trying to squish in its wriggling white mass through the small opening. Ladybug quickly glanced at it, before pushing one reporter Chamack and her little girl into the Cat-Walk.

“Oh, this is big news!” she heard Nadja Chamack whisper before the elevator rattled again.

She stumbled down, but the two clawed hands of her partner caught her. She was barely on her feet again when Chat Noir pushed her out of the way of a white tentacle, and into the black hole.

“Chat!” she screamed, feeling the oppressing darkness engulf her. A second later, she stumbled out of the other Cat Walk opening, and was caught by one of the monsters surrounding her.

“I-is everybody out?” The large plant monster asked around nervously. Ladybug stumbled out of his grasp, and looked at the Cat-Walk opening. To her horror, it vanished from the corridor wall.

“Chat! Chat’s still inside!”

At the same time, she heard a big boom. They all turned to the elevator, just as the cord holding it snapped. It vanished into the hole of the tree with the Amalgamate and Chat Noir.

Her heart sank in her chest. Adrenaline pumped in, and she flew straight into the elevator hole and down. She plunged into the dark hollow tree, hearing, more than seeing the elevator break apart as it crashed violently to the floor below. Her scream was unheard through the cacophony.

She slowed down, arriving at the ground level: the root cave. There, large pillars held up the biggest reserves of syrup up above. She could see some of the substance leak from the cracks of the now-weakened ceiling and winced, but quickly looked away. Her attention was now concentrated on the mess of white goop and debris, desperately searching for a sign of her partner —

“Well, that was an express ride!”

She turned around with a start, and finally noticed the baton’s end on the ground. Looking up, to her relief, she saw Chat Noir come down by retracting his staff. Ladybug clenched and relaxed her sweaty trembling fists a few times before regaining her ability to speak.

“Kitty! Fluffbun! You’re terrible! I thought I lost you!”

Chat’s eyes widened for a second, and a soft smirk appeared on his lips when he finally touched the ground with the grace of the animal he was taking after.

“Sorry for the scare, my lady. I managed to ‘Cat-Walk’ out of the trap after a well-placed Catastrophe as our ride was falling.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Though, this  _ went down  _ pretty quickly, huh?”

“You’re making a joke now? You were almost a kitty pancake!”

“I’m sure I’d make a delicious pancake. With syrup coating, of course!”

Ladybug’s nose crinkled. Then, she thought back to the dust stashed in her room, and shuddered. She was not ready to tell her partner off for a joke in poor taste, though. She really should be glad they were both alright.

_ ‘You did good, Marinette.’ _

Ladybug nodded at Tikki’s words, and mechanically took out a compact and directed it at the white goo on the floor. She muttered the Aphidel spell, wincing in displeasure when the creature’s DT swarmed through her soul. She had to take a moment to breathe out.

The clawed hand of her partner landed on her shoulder, and she flinched. She looked up to his green feline eyes, slightly taken aback by the softness of his expression.

“Hey, uh… I’m sorry if I scared you with that, Ladybug.” He released his hold on her to scratch his hair. “I guess… I’ve been getting used to doing things alone, and joking is a good way to relieve stress for me?” He licked his lips, looking down. “Anyway, I’m sorry for making you worry.”

She felt warmth swell through her chest, and gave him an encouraging smile.

“And I’m sorry I yelled. It’s just…” She took his arm, looking for his eyes. “I don’t want to see my partner hurt.”

_ Especially not because of me _ , she finished silently.

Chat Noir searched through her eyes, and nodded with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Ladybug. With you at my side, I could never lose.”

She snorted, and lightly punched his arm.

“You’re so cheezy… typical monsters,” she called, shaking her head. “Though I guess we’ll need hope like yours to take those things down.”

Chat Noir blinked.

“Typical?”

She huffed, shook her head, and offered her fist.

“‘Pound it’ quick before I bring all those monsters back?” she gestured at the floor.

Chat looked down, then offered his fist.

“Pound it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I once again thank [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for beta-reading this chapter!
> 
> Next update on Monday.


	10. Troubled Heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and your kudos! Hope you enjoy this small update!

“ _ I’m telling you, girl, those two are amazing! Just watch all the vids I’ve got on the Ladyblog already, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Their magic’s unlike anything else!” _

Marinette yawned as she listened to her friend ramble on the phone, busying herself with finally finishing the hat for Rose. Since she had spent every night chasing after Amalgamates and listening to Plagg’s teaching, she had not gotten much progress on it. Now that she had a day free of school, she wanted to make the most of it

“ I’m sure a lot of their magic is for flashiness’s sake, Alya,” she argued as she finished sewing the flower in. “Why did you name your blog like that, anyway? What about Chat Noir?”

“ _ Believe me, it’s not for a lack of trying. Turns out they’ve had some followers before they came to Syrrup. We’re just the first people they talked to directly. I’m hoping to catch them for an interview some time!” _

Marinette frowned.

“ You shouldn’t go out when there’s an attack, Alya. Remember what happened to you last time?”

“ _ Chillax, girl, I’m a perfectly crafty fox when I want to! Beside, those two are capable of reversing any lasting damage those Amalgamate thingies make! Their magic isn’t just for show, I’m telling you!” _

Marinette’s thoughts wandered back to what Plagg had told them about the end of the previous Ladybug, and she winced when the needle pierced her skin. She sucked on her finger as Alya kept on gushing.

She and Chat Noir had only fought three Amalgamates so far, and every time, she had narrowly avoided death. They were not even the biggest threats, Plagg had warned. Amalgamates were terrifying, but they did not reach the danger level of an Akuma, who could not be defeated as easily with a quick touch of a Catastrophe spell. That, coupled with the knowledge that an Amalgamate had to  _ kill _ a human in order to take their soul and evolve into an Akuma, made Marinette dread an encounter with them.

And the fact that Brigitte had failed herself only reinforced how vulnerable to defeat she truly was. One wrong step was enough to make her fall...and she had never stopped being clumsy.

She sucked away every drop of coppery taste she could from her wound.

“ _ Anyway, enough about me. How are things with the flight team going?” _

“ Huh? Nowhere,” Marinette answered in surprise, “I’m not going to join.”

“ _ Aw, seriously, girl? Why not? You’d kill it!” _

“ It’s just-I mean… Flying is more of a passing hobby, y’know?” She chuckled nervously, straightening her chair. “Anyway, you know my true passion is fashion!”

“ _ That I do, girl, but it doesn’t hurt to get into more than one activity, you know?”  _ Alya replied with a laugh, sounding coy. “ _ Beside, I know the flying squad trains at the same period the fencing squad does. And I know that _ you  _ know who’s in it…” _

Marinette could almost hear the massive grin her friend was sporting through the phone. She felt the heat coming up on her cheeks.

“ W-well, yeah. That would certainly be something… interesting.” She looked down at her finger and saw the glinting red drop coming from her wound. Her smile vanished from her face and she sighed. “That’s… I don’t think this’ll work out, though. I really don’t feel like trying for the squad.”

“…  _ Girl, listen to me,” _ Alya said, her tone suddenly serious. “ _ I don’t know what’s going on in this amazing head of yours that makes you think you’re not good enough for Adrien, but whatever that’s causing it, you gotta stop letting it get power over your life! You. Are. An incredible monster, Marinette! Your designs are great, your craftwork is amazing, you’re a great cook, you’re a fantastic helper and you’re pretty like no other! And that’s not even counting your hidden flying prowess! You are more than worthy of Adrien’s love! Fluffbun! If anything,  _ Adrien  _ should feel not good enough for you, model or not!” _

“ Don’t say that! Adrien is wonderful!” Marinette retorted as she was looking for her band-aids. “Don’t diss my crush to make me look better, Alya!”

“ _ Well, at this point, it looks like it’s the only way I can make you value yourself! At least give it a try, girl! What’s the harm in asking him out? If he doesn’t see how good you are, he definitely doesn’t deserve you!” _

“ That’s unfair to him,” Marinette replied while applying the band-aid. It was time like this she almost wanted to ask Adrien out just so that he would turn her down and Alya could drop it.

The biggest issue with doing it was that there was a certain amount of chance that he would say ‘yes’ to her. And if he did, she did not know if she would feel more afraid of elated.

“ _ Well, I don’t feel like being fair to him if he breaks your heart! By the way, are your parents still keeping you home at night?” _

“ Mhm.” Marinette had told Alya that her parents had been more protective of her and refused to let her out after the Amalgamate attack. It was somewhat true. Although Alya did not know her restriction came from the assault that led to her first encounter with Chat Noir, and not the one from the school. “My curfew is at six, so no sleepovers allowed.”

“ _ Bummer. You said you had something planned?” _

“ Just a delivery. But it will take me the afternoon, I think.”

“ _ That’s too bad. We really need to get some together-time soon! It feels like forever!” _

“ You still free tomorrow?”

“ _ You bet! Well… At least today, I know I can count on Nino to watch the new Hunting Spear episode with me. Too bad Adrien had to bail out due to some ‘additional course’ they’re making him take. As if he didn’t have enough of those already! But hey, you wouldn’t be able to be here anyway, so not a huge loss.” _

Marinette rolled her eyes.

“ Hope you and Nino have a good time, then.”

“ _ Same! I know you couldn’t get into the Hunting Spear, but hopefully, we’ll find some other things to marathon together! I heard Adrien had a weak spot for the MTT programs.” _

This brought a snicker out of Marinette.

“ Somehow, I can’t see him watch those!”

“ _ You should! Nino told me he’s a real goof about it! Well, aside from that, I guess we can watch Ladybug and Chat Noir’s videos together, because I know Adrien is a fan of those too!” _

Marinette froze in the middle of sewing the last thread.

“ H-he is?”

“ _ Yep! He follows my blog closely! See, this is why you should read it too! You’d have things to talk about together!” _ There was a small pause before Alya continued. “ _ Okay, my sisters are at it again. I think I should take them to the park or something. Good luck with your commission!” _

“ Thanks! Good luck with your sisters!” Marinette said back to her as her friend hung up, still thinking about what she revealed on Adrien.

So, her crush followed her ‘hero persona’? Somehow, this brought butterflies in her stomach. At the time she became Ladybug, she had very little thoughts about what those around her would think about it.

The most obvious would be the humans, who would recognize her and Chat Noir as humans breaking the masquerade, which was obviously a bad thing.

But to the monsters around her, she and her partner were an odd pair of heroes. People to be  _ admired. _ The idea that Adrien could admire her like some did the lead actress of the Hunting Spear was so strange to her. Strange, but not unpleasant.

Feeling giddy, she squirmed in her seat.

‘ _ Are you planning to ask Adrien out, then?’ _

Marinette blinked at Tikki’s impromptu question and wriggled her hands.

“ I-I mean… not really, no. I-it would be nice… but-”

‘ _ You don’t think he’d like you?’ _

“ No! I mean yes! I mean… I don’t know.” She sighed and took the now finished hat, checking for imperfections. “Adrien and I… started off the wrong foot. But I think we’re okay now. A-and I’m sure I could make myself look good in front of him… if I could talk properly near him, that is.” She chuckled, a hand on her heating cheeks. “I can’t help it. Whenever he’s around, I just turn into a stuttering mess!”

Tikki gave out a silent laughter.

‘ _ Seems to me like you have all the signs of a crush!’ _

Marinette’s smile thinned. She caressed the brim of the hat.

“ I guess I do…”

‘…  _ What’s wrong, Marinette?’ _

“ Well… I think you can guess.” She shrugged, putting the hat away and stretching her arms. “Adrien’s a monster, so there’s no way this would work.”

‘ _ Why not?’ _

The human girl stopped in the middle of her stretch. She raised an eyebrow at her reflection in the mirror.

“ Well, gee, I don’t know. Maybe because  _ I’m _ not? Because of the Masquerade? The dust?” She spread her arms. “ _ Everything else _ happening?”

Tikki fell silent and Marinette sighed, guilt filling her.

“ Sorry, Tikki. I didn’t mean to snap.” She put her head in between her hands and slouched on her desk. “I guess I’m just tired.”

‘…  _ Is it about the Amalgamates?’ _

“…  I guess?” It was partly that, anyway. “I’m just… those last two attacks, I barely avoided death, and I always feel like Chat has to be the one to pull me out.”

‘ _ I think that can easily be solved with having a weapon, like Plagg suggested to you,’ _ Tikki said. ‘ _ Brigitte and the old Chat Noir did not use any, but they were both physical fighters. You and Chat Noir are still young and untrained. Chat Noir made a staff to be able to keep his distance and hit hard. I think you need a distance weapon too.’ _

Marinette nodded, even as she groaned.

“ I don’t know any I could use, though. Chat said he had training with some weaponry.”

‘ _ I suggest we take a time later to look around your room and find something you enjoy doing that could be converted into a sort of weapon.’ _

Marinette’s eyes fell on her sewing kit, and she shuddered. Maybe not that. She crossed her arms under her chin and looked up.

“…  Tikki?”

‘ _ Yes?’ _

“ Do you remember anything else about Chat Noir and Brigitte? How were they to each other?”

Were they close? She wondered. Human and monster together? Was that why Tikki did not seem to have a problem with Marinette’s crush?

She was not certain Tikki felt the undercurrent of her question, but the earrings’ spirit answered.

‘ _ I… it’s hard for me to remember everything, but I recall them starting off at odds with each other.’ _

“ Really?”

‘ _ Yes… I’m not sure why. I know Plagg and I have always felt close. I can feel it. We share a bond… But Brigitte and Chat Noir did not at first.’ _

“ Hmm…” Marinette’s eyes wandered on her walls covered with posters of Adrien modelling. She could not say she and Chat Noir had the best of first meetings (not that he  _ knew _ ), but they had clicked in a way that had felt almost natural when they had fought together. This was an intriguing difference. Marinette wondered if this was a residue of the bond already formed by Brigitte and her partner, or if it was just something more personal in between her and the black cat monster.

‘ _ Eventually, they did work rather well together, though. I think…’ _ Tikki’s voice wavered _. ‘I think near the end, Brigitte was feeling something deeper than friendship towards him. And I have a feeling this was reciprocated.’ _

Something heavy fell into Marinette’s stomach. She was unsure what was worse. Knowing that her aunt also had feelings for a monster like she did, or that she did not live long enough to tell him to his face.

Would she be able to? Tell her crush the truth before she was gone? Her eyes met Adrien’s posters and she shuddered. She stood up.

“ Guess I should head out before I’m out of time,” she mumbled, taking Rose’s hat and delicately putting it in her bag. Going to the Burrows would take her mind off this.

Tikki went silent until Marinette had opened her trapdoor.

‘ _ Remember, Marinette, my magic is at your disposal. What was unattainable before, I’ll do my best to make it available for you.’ _

Marinette asked no clarification on what she meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Great thanks to [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) and [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for helping me with this work!
> 
> Next update on Friday.


	11. Operation Secret Garden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and your kudos! Hope you enjoy this update!

“M-Marinette? I… I didn’t expect you to see you here today. H-how are you?”

“Oh, Nathaniel! Hello!” Marinette gave the human boy a polite smile as she stopped by his exhibit. In the Burrows, Nathaniel’s family were known for their artistic talents, and their youngest son was no exception. In this busy day, many humans were stopping by to admire the displayed art pieces and ask for commissions.

Being still at school, Nathaniel was not taking care of those yet, but he had started to expose some of his drawings, among which were Marinette’s monster forms. She came in closer to appreciate the art.

“Wow, I have to say, you’ve got an eye for drawing monsters!” She hesitantly reached to the corner of the paper as she admired it. “I’m sure you’ll be able to get many fans on the surface!”

“Ah. Thank you.” His cheeks turned almost as red as his hair. His natural form was so unusual to Marinette. But it was impolite to comment on that. “I admit, I… I’m not as good at drawing humans, though.”

Marinette’s smile brightened.

“Oh, you’ve been drawing humans as well?”

“Yeah. Let me show you!” He hurriedly shuffled through papers under his stand until he retrieved a sketchbook. He shuffled through it until opening it on a spread page and presenting it to her. “Here.”

Marinette’s eyes widened when she took the sketchbook.

“Nathaniel… This is…”

“Yeah… I… sorry about that… I know Chloé doesn’t like being sketched… I just hope this doesn’t bother you…”

She absentmindedly shook her head.

“No… It’s okay.”

Was it, though?

The page spread was covered with drawings of Marinette. In human form. Doing various school-day activities. The drawings were pretty good. All the more that she knew Nathaniel did not see her in her human form often. He had somehow used the time spent in school to imagine her human form doing what he saw her monster form doing.

It was pretty flattering. But…

“This is really good,” she praised him with a smile. “You’re so talented, Nathaniel. Are you going to try the same exercise with yourself?

“Eventually, maybe,” he said with a shrug and a tone that made it obvious that he would not. He shuffled nervously on his feet, and Marinette did not want to extend the awkwardness of the meeting, so she looked up.

“A-anyway, um… did you happen to see Rose Lavillant somewhere?” She asked, clenching her bag. “Her parents said she was out.”

“Oh, yeah. She’s probably hanging out on the Couffaine boat that’s in the underground harbor,” he told her, wriggling his hands. “She’s got a friend in there named Juleka. It’s stationed near the library.”

“I see! Thank you!” She gave him an appreciative nod and made a move to head to the stairs leading to the lower level of the Burrows.

“Ah, wait!”

“Huh?”

Nathaniel brusquely took the drawing of Marinette’s monster form and replaced them with his opened sketchbook. He straightened and handed the monster sketches to Marinette.

“For you. I… I would have loved to give you the other ones… but… well…”

She knew the rules as well as he did. No human images could get out of the Burrows, for the sake of the masquerade. She gave him a friendly smile and took the monster drawings.

“Thank you, Nathaniel. They’re amazing!”

She hoped he did not give out drawings for free all the time. His family needed the money. She silently swore to repay him with pastries.

“The pleasure is mine, Marinette.”

She kept her smile and started heading inside the staircase tunnel. She remembered Chloé’s teasing from a few days ago. From the way Nathaniel acted, it was possible Chloé had been right about his crush. Marinette wondered if poor Nathaniel was attracted to her because she was the only decent human girl in his class, or if there was more to it. They certainly did not talk much at all, apart from when she gave him back his sketchbook, and the few times she had come to his family stand to check on their works.

She was a bit saddened at not being able to reciprocate his feelings if he had them, but reasonably, Nathaniel was a decent human being. He would be able to find someone to replace his crush easily.

She had started her descent into the lower level of the Burrows when screams echoed through the stairs’ tunnel. She frowned. People were coming up. But why make such commotion? She quickly put Nathaniel’s drawing in her bag as she kept stepping down.

“Halt! In the name of the Watch!”

“There’s been a big misunderstanding! I’m not here to cause trouble!”

“Fire!”

She heard the sparkling bullets and she slipped, her mind already reeling, because she _knew that voice and there was no way he_ -

She fell down with a yelp, arms flailing.

She collided head-first on a solid and familiar chest. Her screaming was echoed for a few milliseconds of free-fall that seemed to last an eternity until a strong arm held her tight and she was yanked up.

“Gah!”

“Hmpf!”

Her eyes snapped open and she met the now familiar gaze of her black cat partner, who was currently holding the ramp and preventing them from falling further into the depth of the dark staircases. His green eyes squinted until they widened in recognition.

“You!”

Marinette snapped back into reality when she saw the lights coming from down the stairs. The Watch. Coming up. For Chat Noir. A ‘terrorist’.

Frowning resolutely, she snatched Chat’s wrist and hoisted him up as she climbed back. He gave out a surprised yelp, but let go of the ramp after the second tugging. He was practically flying behind her with the speed she was going at, but there was no way she would let her _idiot_ partner get dusted by the Watch. Idiot. Idiot monster. Why was he _here_?

She did not pause when they resurfaced from the stairs and plunged into the surprised crowd. Her eyes darted for the nearest opening and she practically flung the monster through before hurriedly shutting it behind.

“Excuse-me, but, uh-”

“Shhh!”

She pushed him against the damp wall and stood still, trying to hear through the stone wall any calls from the Watch, or any signs that they were heading toward their hiding place. Maybe she should not risk staying here too long. They may be out of the Burrows, but it was still a passageway. Or it used to be. Marinette knew this one was condemned since there was a construction zone on the surface above it. Did the Watch know about it too? Probably. But she hoped they successfully got lost in the crowd.

After nearly five minutes of waiting in the dark, Marinette breathed out and relaxed her hold on the monster.

“Oh, my god…”

“Yeah. I’ll say.”

She turned to him and glared.

“And _what_ in heaven’s name are you doing here? Do you have a death wish?”

Chat Noir blinked, his ears flattening a bit.

“Well, I-”

“Do you have any idea of how _dangerous_ this is for you?” she continued, arms flailing. “Hasn't Plagg warned you about the Watch? A monster spotted down there is a monster dead!”

“Well, I was thinking getting past your sensors with my human soul would have been enough of an entry card!” He passed a hand through his hair. “And I look human enough for most of the crowd to ignore me, I only had issues with those ‘watch’ guys-wait a minute…”

He seemed to have realized something, but Marinette was too preoccupied about what he had just told her to pay him much mind. She cursed in half a breath.

“I totally forgot about the wanted posters! The Watch is on the lookout for both Ladybug and Chat Noir. You absolutely _cannot_ go down there!” She groaned and massaged her head. “This is my fault I should have told-”

“Wait, how do you know about Plagg?” Chat’s voice cut her thoughts and she froze.

She then realized… she had been in her human civilian form all this time! She was almost tempted to scurry up and find some half-baked excuses, but Chat’s look of utter stupefaction was enough to make her realize that this was too late.

“… My lady?” he said in a strangled voice. “Is that… oh _fluffbun_!” He put his hands on his mouth and backed against the wall as he was taking her all in. “From the alley… That time…”

Oh. Yeah.

Well. This was awkward.

She forced a grin and scratched her cheek.

“Um… surprise?”

“I can’t believe it!” he whispered like he had no more air in his lungs, his human cheeks fully red. “Oh, my _god_. Of all the…”

“Yeah,” she said with a sigh, giving him some space. She was still cursing herself for revealing herself so stupidly. How could she have forgotten she was not covered?

“You kissed me almost dry and left me behind a crate!”

Marinette’s cheeks heated up this time. She gritted her teeth.

“I panicked, okay? I’m sorry, but I hadn’t met Tikki yet and you were acting like a Hunter and-”

“That was just like an Anne Pasta novel!”

“… What?”

She gave him the most outraged face she could make when she saw the wide grin he was sporting. His tail was high up and shaking.

She groaned and shook her head.

“Oh, please, don’t tell me you’re _fanboying_ over this...” She raised her hands in disarray. “I almost dusted you!”

“But you didn’t!” He raised a claw at her appreciatively. “I knew my lady’s soul was exceptional even without Tikki’s guidance!”

“I left you to die, Chat!” Marinette argued back as Tikki’s laughter silently echoed in her brain. She glared. “This is not funny!”

“Oh, it’s fine,” Chat waved his hand dismissively. “Plagg had my back.” He brought his hands crossed on his heart. “I’m just so happy with the knowledge that my fate has been entwined with yours even before we partnered up. It was like it was meant to be, _mew and I_.”

She groaned loudly and covered her face, deciding that there was no way to argue anything serious with the monster. She did not look up when she heard him shuffle up near her. He put an arm around her shoulder.

“You know,” he started, “not many people get to say this literally. But…” He took her chin and gently made her face his half-lidded eyes. “I knew you had good taste, my lady.”

She started to feel sick.

She pushed him away with her whole palm this time, earning a surprised noise from him. She stepped back.

“Alright. That’s it. Let’s never speak of this again.”

For a moment, it looked like Chat would protest, but something in her aura must had shown she was serious. He faltered back.

“Ah. Okay.”

“Right.” She took a breath and looked at the only exit available, leading back to the Burrows. “Now, we’ve got to find a way to get you out without alerting the Watch of your presence. We were lucky once to outrun them, but I don’t trust being able to do this again.”

“So, what do you suggest?” Chat asked, massaging his cheek where she had pushed him.

“… I’m thinking disguise,” she decided, a hand on her chin. “You told me you do it all the time in your civilian life, right? So we can do this. Only, you’re disguising yourself as a human instead of a monster.”

His eyes lit.

“We can _do_ that?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t see why not?” Marinette shrugged. “If you could get in thanks to Plagg’s soul, then appearance is the only thing that would really hurt you there. Humans can read auras, but aren’t as good as monsters, and people in the Burrows don’t use much dust, so they’re not even that likely to be able to read auras. Really, as long as you have a human form, we should be able to smuggle you out without much issues.”

“Or, we could smuggle me _in_ more easily.”

She looked at him like he had grown a second head and was playing guitar with his teeth.

“Are you for- You _cannot_ go back down there!”

“Sure can!” he argued back with a smile. “Plagg said I could!”

“Somehow I doubt that, because you’d get killed!”

“Okay, so being wanted by those Watch guys was a minor setback,” Chat admitted, crossing his arms. “But, Plagg did tell me I should learn more about dust-eater culture if I want to be a good Chat Noir. And the Burrows is where I can learn most of it.”

Marinette squinted at him and shook her head.

“But… I mean…” She massaged her head. “That’s really not a place for a monster at all!”

“Well, I’m not just a monster _now_ , am I?” he snapped back, looking down sourly. “Look. I noticed, alright?” He sighed and massaged his neck. “I _know_ you and Plagg don’t think much of me. You think just because I’m a monster, I’m weak and can’t handle things like dust-eat-I mean, like humans do.” He looked at her intensively. “Well, you won’t know unless you give me a chance to prove to you that I can be a good partner!”

Something painful surged inside Marinette at Chat’s words. She crossed her arms as if to contain it, barely able to meet her partner’s gaze.

At her reaction, he deflated and looked at the ground sourly. He snorted.

“Wow. That much, huh?”

“Chat, you don’t know what you’re asking,” she told him evenly.

“Yeah, apparently, I don’t.”

She could understand his frustration, but oh, fluffbun, he could be so grating! All the more in that she could see part of herself in his attitude. A few years back, she had been frustrated this way with her parents as well.

She knew better now. But _he_ did not. He could not.

Still. Plagg was not against it. He probably knew better than she did. She could feel Tikki’s agreement at that thought.

She sighed.

“Can we…” She gulped. “Can we just agree that you won’t go down there without me coming alongside you?” she bargained, finally trying to meet his eyes. “Please, kitten. The last thing I want is for you to end up as a pile of dust under there somewhere while I’m up here worrying about where you could be.”

Maybe reaching to him this way was cheating, but it seemed to do the trick. His lips quirked up and he swirled to her, bowing down dramatically.

“Well, with an offer like that, how can I refuse?” He crouched and took her hand to kiss it. “If being your knightly escort is what I have to be to visit your kingdom, princess, then so shall it be.”

He had recovered quicker than she did. All she could manage was a weak smile.

“Yeah… although _you_ ’d be more akin to the monster prince going through the nightmare cave with me as your protective knight, kitty.”

He giggled excitedly as he stood up, tail swinging.

“And you’re the best protection a monster prince could hope for, bugaboo.”

She rolled her eyes and started to look into her bag. If only things were that simple.

“Speaking of ‘protection’, it’s time to figure out how to apply our disguises.” She pulled out a mirror and saw him cock his head.

“ _Our_ disguise?”

She looked at him nonplussed.

“You may know my human face now, but you don’t know my civilian name, and I’d like to keep it that way, if you don’t mind. So if I hang out with you, it’s under another human identity.”

If he was disappointed, he covered it well with giddiness.

“Oooh, we’re gonna be spies to the human underground together!”

She laughed this time. Deciding they would start with him, she observed his most human attributes as he was checking himself in the mirror.

“You know,” he told her, “I wasn’t thrilled with the changes at first, but I can see the appeal now.” He wriggled his eyebrow at her and she silently redirected his face back to the mirror. “Even so, though, I think the lack of tail is the strangest. Tails are great for balance.”

Marinette shrugged, her fingers tracing the fur around his eyes.

“Not every monster has a tails either.” She certainly did not on her civilian monster form. “Alright. So I was thinking we can probably get away with very few changes from your ‘Chat Noir’ form.” She put her hand around his eyes, ignoring his blush. “If you let me, I can just make that weird fur-mask disappear. We’ll see what more to do afterward.”

He nodded and she reached into his aura. She felt the way he deferred to her magic and she concentrated. She delicately brushed the black fur away with her thumbs, erasing it under the magic disguise. He closed his eyes when she went over his eyelids. She left a thin patch on his brows and made it grow paler.

The whole process took a few minutes. With an appraising frown, Marinette checked the newly uncovered face around. It looked very clean. Very human. A hint of pride swelled at her work. She had never partaken in a magic make-over (it wasted magic), but she was secretly glad to have the occasion to. Chat Noir’s human’s face was definitely on the attractive side, though. Regardless of her work.

When he opened his eyes, she winced a bit. His face may have looked human, but his green scleras and slit pupils were borderline uncanny without the black fur around it. Chat Noir did not seem to notice. He was looking at his face in Marinette’s pocket mirror in wonder.

“Oh wow. I mean… wow.”

“Yeah, I’ll try to help with the eyes, too. Then we’ll get to the ears and tail.”

“Hmm?” He snapped back to her, as if out of a trance. “Oh. Sure.” He looked down again. “You’re really good at this! Plagg pretty much redid my monster form, but we had photos to help with it.”

She chuckled.

“I’m pretty sure remaking your monster form from photos would be harder than what I’m doing. You already have a basic human physique underneath the fur.” She brought her fingers closer and he startled. “Keep your eyes open for this.”

It did not took as much work for the eyes. She had a good idea of what to get. Already, after humanizing his green eyes, his face looked all the better. She did the extra work of forming a pair of human ears under his hair when she made his natural black cat ears vanish. He touched the place where his ears disappeared with a grimace and probed his new ones.

“Illusion magic like this is so strange. Slimes, I can understand. They just rebuild everything. But this? It feels like a weird in-between. Like the new limbs are here and aren’t here at the same time.”

“It’s easier to hold than straight up transforming,” she said as she was working on vanishing his tail. “Transformation means remodeling who you are to fit the world. But magic should not be about refitting yourself for the world. It should be for the world to refit for you.”

Chat chuckled.

“That sounds like it should be the opposite, my lady.”

She smirked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“It does, doesn’t it? But that’s because we naturally think of the world as set with rules that are true everywhere for everything.” She shrugged. “In fact, truth is a matter of perspective. In this world we live in, anyway.”

He frowned a bit.

“I think I disagree, bug. Truth is truth no matter what perspective we look at it.”

“And what was your truth on dust-eaters two weeks ago?”

His eyes widened a bit, and was about to retort when she put a finger on his lips.

“ _The_ Truth may exist no matter what, but everyone and everything is limited to their own perspective, and react accordingly. Thus, they make their own truth, which is real in their own ways.” She gave him an assured look. “The principle of illusion magic is tricks and deceit. It’s to make your perspective that of the universe and those living in it.” She reached at his human ear and he shuddered at the touch. “You feel the illusion like it is a truth, because even the world you live in has been tricked into believing that the illusion is the truth.”

Chat Noir frowned in contemplation before speaking up.

“... If the world is so easily moldable…  then perhaps The Truth isn’t really the truth? If it whips back and forth faster than a tail, then how can it be the foundation of reality? How can the illusion be stronger than the Truth if it’s so weak?”

Marinette closed her eyes.

“Because no one knows what the Truth is. That’s why even the world you live in can be tricked. Humans live a lie. Monsters live in this lie. Humans lie to the monsters, and to other humans, but most of all humans lie to themselves. That’s what makes the illusion so strong. It’s what makes it stronger than any potential ‘Truth’.”

She opened her eyes and took a step back, putting her hands behind her with a hum.

“… I’m guessing humans are good at illusion, because we’re great liars,” she commented, unable to hide the bitterness of her tone. “Okay, I think I did an okay job hiding your cat features, but you’re gonna need to change your style as well. Do you want to work on your clothes?”

He blinked and looked down at his suit before giving her a helpless shrug.

“I, uh, would love to, but all I know how to form are my own civilian clothes, so…”

“Ah. Yeah.” She gave him a smile. “Let me help again, then! I kinda like working with clothing.”

As she modeled the illusion on him, she saw him comb his unruly blond hair. She thought he did a pretty decent job. By the time she had finished giving him a pair of jeans with sneakers and a silver-white hoodie, he looked like a neat and proper teenager. She could not see the Watch recognizing him now.

“Perfect! Nice job, kitten!” She held out her fist and he bumped it with a complicit gaze.

“I’ll return the compliment, bugaboo. We just make a pawsome team of stylists!”

“Ah, speaking of…” She took the mirror. “I have to work on myself a bit.”

“Do you mind me trying?”

She looked at him in surprise and shrugged.

“I don’t see why not.” She looked down on her bag and winced. “Ah, but we probably should get going soon; I have a delivery to make today.”

He nodded and put himself to work. Marinette could tell he was not at ease with illusion magic, but working on a human face to make another human face was probably easier. He started with changing the color of her hair to one closer to his. She approved with a nod when he cringed. Using his own change to make hers was not a bad idea in her opinion. When he tried to make her hair longer, he had some difficulty with her ponytails, so she faded the ribbon holding them away. When he delicately put her extended hair on her shoulder, she worked her magic to remodel them into a singular braid.

“So that it doesn’t go everywhere,” she explained to him, and he chuckled. He put his seemingly human hands on her face and she felt the new shape of her face taking hold. She tensed a bit, but let him experiment as his fingers traced her traits. Their auras were intermingled in such a close way that she felt his wonder almost as if it was hers.

When he frowned and bit his lips in displeasure, she took the mirror and looked down. Ignoring his protest, she stared wide-eyed at the face of a girl that never existed until today. With long blond braided hair, a slight tan and bright green eyes.

Before Chat could look flustered. She nodded firmly.

“Perfect. You haven’t made gross errors of symmetry, and we look like siblings. No one will look twice at seeing us walking together.”

She glanced down at her clothes and quickly switched the colors around so that she was now wearing a white jacket with a pink top and dark grey pants. It was lazy, but it would do the trick. She looked up and saw him nod, breathing a sigh of relief at her approval. She chuckled at his silliness.

“Now, remember the feel of that specific illusion, because if we ever need to go back down, you’ll have an appearance ready that way.” She did just the same with hers and looked up at the closed entrance to the Burrow. “Just stay close to me and I’ll give you the tour you want.”

“Just lead the way, my lad- huh…” Chat straightened and put a hand on his chin. “How should we refer to each other when we look this way, bug? Because as much as I like saying your name, it might sound a bit suspicious.”

“True. Uh…” Marinette massaged her head before looking down at herself, then at Chat with a shrug. “Let’s say your new name is Buttercup, and I’m Lotus.”

He gave her a weird look, and she raised her hands up in dismay.

“I like flowers, alright?”

“How about something a little less conspicuous,” he suggested, a hand on his chin. “Like, say…” His eyes lit and he flashed her a smile. “I’ll be Officer Johns, and you’ll be agent Smith!”

This triggered an annoyed groan out of the human girl.

“Why is _everyone_ so much into that dumb TV show?”

“Not a fan, huh?” Chat remarked with a much too amused expression. “You’d be a killer agent Smith, though!”

“Don’t ever say that to me again.” She waved him as she walked forward. “Now, come on, Buttercup!”

“That’s ‘Officer Buttercup Johns’ to you, ‘Agent Lotus Smith’!”

‘ _I liked the flower idea,’_ Tikki pipped in. Marinette groaned again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with the story! 
> 
> (Might reformulate parts of the segment on truth and illusion. I'm not sure yet)
> 
> Next update on Monday.


	12. What You Don’t Know

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments! Here's a slightly longer update!

“So, what’s your issue with the ‘Hunting Spear’ show, anyway?”

“Don’t talk of it here,” Marinette snapped back at Chat in between her gritted teeth. She shot worried looks around, but the crowd of humans treading through the first level of the Burrows were paying them no mind. At least, that part of the plan was working.

Chat Noir sped his walk until he was beside her, quirking an eyebrow up.

“Is that it? Is it because it’s about dust-eaters?” His eyes scanned the place. “I mean, I can see how it could be annoying for you. I just figured you were used to this by now. You didn’t seem to find my Anne Pasta reference any worse.”

“Anne Pasta novels are harmless,” Marinette answered back, wrinkling her nose. “I mean, it’s just basic propaganda to hide humans from monsters. You already know we’re not actually made of glittering water, and we don’t turn monsters into transparent statues.”

“But do you hypnotize monsters to do your bidding?” He wiggled his human-looking eyebrows. “Because I feel like you’ve put me under a spell whenever I look at you, my la-Lotus.”

She rolled her eyes at the same time an amused snort came out of her mouth. Sometime he was just too much.

“More seriously, though. That show we’ve talked about? It’s made by Hunters.”

That seemed to snap him back to reality.

“For real?” he asked as they both slalomed through a larger crowd. “You don’t- I mean… dust-eaters in that show are literal mud creatures, though. I thought-”

“The ones who made the series know they can’t get too close to the truth, or they’ll be hunted down themselves,” she explained as she took his arm and pulled him out of the larger crowd and near the wall. “But they’re part of a group who would be fine with human extermination if it was possible. As is, they just do what they can to secretly put in hints for monsters to figure out dust-eaters.”

“Really? Like what?”

“Remember that episode with the downpour?” she asked, recalling what Alya showed her. “The part where a dust-eater is more likely to drop their illusion under the rain is true. We don’t dissolve like they do in the show, but you’ve seen how illusion magic works. ‘Tricking’ the rain requires a lot of concentration, so it might fade our disguises, or go through it. Unless we use more magic.”

It may have been an additional reason that made her fall in love with Adrien the day he gave her the umbrella. She really was not too keen on running low on dust and risking exposure the second day of school.

“I see,” Chat Noir said with a nod as they headed back to the staircase tunnel they had fled from. Thankfully, Marinette spotted no Watch members around. “They give away your limitations, then? Like the thing about not being able to use strong magic?”

“Well, we  _ can _ use strong magic. It just uses a lot of dust, so only the very wealthy would ever do it,” she corrected as they walked to Nathaniel’s art stand near the staircase. “But yeah, that’s another tell. We’re dependent on our dust reserves every day, so anything that will deplete it, even greeting bullet patterns, we will avoid doing, even if it can make us look more aloof to some.”

“Ah.” His eyes strayed on the drawings spread on the table. “Being dependent on dust does limits you a lot, huh?”

“Yeah,” she agreed, slowing down when he did.

‘ _ You have me now, though.’ _

“I have Tikki now, though,” she repeated out loud, her eyes on the tunnel. She looked back to her companion. “Look, I…”

Her voice cut short when she saw what Chat was staring at: Nathaniel’s drawing of her human form on his sketchbook. She saw the way his eyes lit in recognition.

“Hey! That’s- _ Gwah _ !”

She took his wrist and dragged him away from a curious Nathaniel and into the staircase. She only slowed down when they were half-way through.

“My lady…” She saw him bite his lips, his eyes shifting nervously. “I, uh…”

“Can I ask something of you, Chat?” She whispered softly, her eyes locking into his.

After his slow nod, she continued.

“I want you to promise me you won’t try to find out who I am as a civilian and a monster.” She squeezed his hand. “I…I know you want to know, and I understand it’s frustrating. But as my partner, and for the sake of our mission and everyone involved, please, don’t look for me.”

His gaze bore into hers for a moment. They could hear a group climbing up from below. He finally nodded with a soft smile, a hand on his chest.

“Cat’s honor, my lady. I promise you I’ll respect your wish.”

She could have hugged him right here, were they not standing in the middle of a staircase. As it was, they merely proceeded further down.

The lower levels of the Burrows were all the more cavernous. The soft lights of the crystals embedded into the walls and the rocky ceiling were a good addition to the yellow lights of the underground market.

Marinette looked back at her companion, and was not surprised by the look of dumbfounded amazement he sported at the sight of so much human activity. Kids and adults alike were going through the stalls and perusing exhibited food, jewelry and clothes.

Marinette’s eyes strayed on a roll of soft blue fabric before a loud bark and Chat’s yowl brought her attention back to the disguised monster. She saw the brown eyes of the boxer dog fixed on Chat, while Chat looked like he was hesitating in between hissing at it or cooing. Taking her partner by the shoulders, Marinette gave the dog’s owner a nervous apologetic smile and dragged Chat away.

“Doing okay? That was a dog.”

“Yeah, I saw that!” Chat retorted, still looking like he did not know if he should be outraged or joyful. “I thought domesticated animals were only allowed in the countryside! You have  _ pets _ !”

“Well, we also don’t usually have cat-people to worry about around dogs, so yes,” Marinette confirmed with a chuckle before frowning. “Hang on… are you even really a cat? Because you’ve got your appearance from Plagg who-wait, don’t answer that!” she told him as Chat was opening his mouth. “Anyway, a lot of humans enjoy the company of animals as pets, even more so the Burrowers, who spend most of their life underground. Monsters don’t really have this need, so I guess this must be weird to you.”

“A bit,” he admitted as he glanced back at where the dog was. “Though, I guess I shouldn’t be. Humans were described as ‘having powerful souls and the bodies of animals’, so I guess it makes sense that you have such connections to physical beings.”

“Watch who you’re calling an animal, kitten,” she quipped while jabbing playfully at his ribs. She glanced forward and her eyes lit when she saw where they were heading. “Speaking of kittens, look!”

She dragged him through the town toward a bunch of boxes filled with mewing baby cats. Two adult cats were sitting near, held by leashes while the merchant was eyeing the customers around. Marinette waited for a nod of approval from the merchant before delicately picking an older kitten and showing it to Chat. The disguised monster stared at the blue-eyed tortoiseshell cat before tentatively petting it.

“It’s so small,” he commented in a whisper. Marinette chuckled.

“They’re well-appreciated pets, because they chase away the rats. Dogs have more uses, but they require more training.” She looked back at the shop. “Sadly, pets are for Burrowers only. Animals on the surface are disruptive to some monsters, so they get noticed and chased out of town.”

“I bet this little one would prefer running around under the sun than staying cooped in underground all its life,” Chat said softly as the kitten padded at his finger. Marinette looked down at it.

“Yeah… Many here rarely see the light of day.”

Such was the life of the Burrowers. The lower class of the human hidden society. Those who could not afford, or  _ would not _ afford, enough government-distributed dust for a permanent monster home. There used to be very few of them, her papa had told her. But with the amount of immigration happening, the Burrows’ capacities had been increased. Every human family in town had been recently capped at having a single child for that reason, among others.

Marinette put the kitten back in the box as she pondered. She once had thought of renouncing dust and living down in the Burrows by principle when she was younger. She knew some humans did, those who did not want to participate in the Masquerade and its implications. She changed her mind when she realized the Burrows were not free from dust use either. Whether it was as payment, or through illegal smuggling of monsters, those who lived in the Burrows belonged to the same society as hers but in a worse social position.

“So, do you have anything in particular you think I should see?” Chat asked her. She turned back to him and shrugged.

“I mean, I don’t know. What do you hope to see, exactly? Because this place can be pretty diverse.” And there were parts that were less friendly than others, she completed in her head.

Chat scratched his head.

“Well… how about somewhere I can learn about your culture fast? Or where we can get access to information easily?”

The way he said it made Marinette cock her head.

“Do you have something in particular you want to look for?”

“I was thinking we should see if this place has things on ‘Miraculous’,” Chat said, grimacing for half a second. “Plagg doesn’t like it, but since he’s not really cooperative, and Tikki hasn’t shown signs of recovering her memories yet, I figured it was the best we had.”

Marinette blinked at her companion. She had not even thought of that. Nodding, she put a hand under her chin.

“Well… I don’t know anywhere else but the town’s Library to look for records of the past. It’s located near the port-Oh,  _ fluffbun _ !” She gripped her head.

“What is it?”

“Sorry, nothing too important,” she reassured him when she saw he was getting worried. “I just have an errand to do before the day is over, but I’ll need to be in my true identity to do it. Can I count on you for something?”

After his nod, she continued.

“The library’s not far from where I need to go. I would like you to wait for me inside until I’m done. It shouldn’t take more than half an hour, probably twenty minutes. Is that alright with you?”

This brought a charming smile on his lips. He put a hand on her shoulder.

“My lady Lotus, you can count on this buttercup to be a good kitty for you.”

She rolled her eyes and snorted.

“Alright, you big goof. Let’s just go.”

The great library of the Burrows was where all the knowledge of the human side of Syrrup was stored. Marinette had heard it was among the largest in the continent. Just like pets, human history and a great amount of human books was contained by law within the Burrows. While there existed an ‘undernet’ of a sort linking human society together, it was only accessible in the deepest level, for fear of monsters accidentally linking to it through their own magic network. Due to this, physical books were still widely in use. Marinette knew this would make their search all the more complicated.

“Wow,” Chat muttered when they stopped in front of the edifice carved in stone. “It’s… big.”

“Yep.” It was an understatement. The carving of the library went up to the ceiling, which meant about three times the size of a normal monster house. Chloé’s father’s hotel was only half its size. “It needs to be big, with everything it must contain.”

“All your dust-eater secrets.”

She shuddered, in spite of knowing Chat Noir was just joking. In truth, she was not far from straight-up betraying her own kind by law for showing him all this. That Plagg, a dead human’s soul, was agreeing with Chat knowing did nothing to relieve the guilt she felt.

Chat Noir was her partner, a fellow protector of both their kinds against Amalgamates, and in it together with her to defeat Hawkmoth, the one responsible for her aunt’s death.

And he was also a monster. A being who would be better off if her kind were to disappear. It did not matter how obvious it was that he appreciated her, or how amazed at humans he seemed to be. Realistically, he could not stay on her side forever.

Scratch that. Marinette was a traitor. It was official.

“… So… see you soon, then?”

“What?” She snapped out of her thought and saw his quizzical look.

“Uh… you said you needed something done, right? Unless there is something I need to be aware of once in the library?” He looked up at the large carved letters proclaiming the building’s name and frowned. “Sorry. The ‘Librarby’, I mean… Is that spelling intentional?”

“Wha- _ oh _ .” She looked up and snorted. “No. It’s always been like that. I think I recall the artist going down in history for making this spelling error more than three hundred years past. No one touched it since.”

Chat chuckled, shaking his head.

“Well, I’ll never be one to say humans have no sense of humor.”

Marinette frowned at him.

“Are you telling me all this time with me haven’t taught you that already?”

“Oh, no. My lady’s humor is always spot-on!”

She shoved him near the door with a mock pout and smirked.

“There’s a grand hall you can use as a reading place. I like to occupy the great doors’ left corner.” With that indication, she waved. “I’ll see you in a bit, Buttercup!”

When she was certain Chat had gone in, Marinette dived into a corner and swiftly dropped her illusion magic. In this crowd, she knew it was unlikely anyone could notice her do that, but she still glanced around worriedly. Clutching her bag, she headed to the underground harbor.

Humanity needed water to survive. Whether it was on the surface or underground, the most prosperous cities centered themselves around water sources. The underground canals were not only the sources of drinking water, they were also used to link many towns together in a vast underground circuit of cave tunnels. This was what made the Burrows such an important place for human civilization as a whole. It made, of course, the use of boats a necessity for long-distance trading of human goods without having to expose themselves to monsters’ eyes.

Anarka Couffaine was the captain of such boats. Her work as an underground trader meant her kids had never socialized on the surface. Marinette knew of Anarka’s daughter, Juleka, through her friendship with Rose, and was aware that she was one of the rare human kids of her generation to have a sibling, but overall, they had interacted very little. This was why Marinette was especially apprehensive when she stepped onto the deck, her hat in hand. For a moment, is seemed like the boat was deserted, until a familiar excited voice came to Marinette’s ears.

“See? See? It’s just like I said. He’s perfect! Just perfect!”

Marinette turned around the captain’s cabin and finally spotted the two girls. Rose, a petite blonde clad in all pink, had her eyes focused on her phone. Juleka, her much taller friend with long black hair and purple streaks, was smiling and nodding at every word Rose was babbling.

Rose sighed, a hand on her cheek.

“And he’s so generous, too! Mir Ali is the most admirable monster I’ve ever seen! If only I could meet him, I’ll-”

Marinette signaled her presence with a polite cough. Rose turned to her and her blue eyes brightened further.

“Marinette! I’m so glad you came!” She pranced to her, followed by Juleka. “It’s amazing how fast you finished it! Can I see?”

“You sure can. And more importantly, you can wear it,” Marinette told her with a giggle, holding out the hat. Rose took it with glee and swiftly put in on her head, turning to Juleka. “How does it look? I know Marinette did a great job on it! She always does!”

Juleka mumbled her approbation shyly, her amber eyes glinting with happiness. Her friend squealed and gave her the hat for her to try.

“Thank you so much, Marinette! You’re the most amazing surfacer I know!” Rose gushed. “You have the heart of a monster!”

Marinette blushed wholeheartedly and massaged her neck with a wide smile.

“Thank you for the compliment, but it was my pleasure, really! You always give me so many great ideas for projects to work on.” She turned to Juleka, who had gently put the hat on her head. “If either of you need anything like this done, I’m your girl!”

Juleka’s cheeks turned red and she mumbled something. Marinette had to stand much closer to even hear a word of it. As she did so, Rose left and came back up with a box filled with colored bottles.

“Here’s your payment for the hat, Marinette! Twelve fragrance samples!”

“Oh! Wow, that’s way more than I asked for… I-”

“No worries, girl! Just try them out!”

Knowing better than to arguing a gift, Marinette put the box in her bag and gave the two girls a smile.

“From what I’m seeing, business is going well for your family then, Rose?”

Rose’s face lit.

“It does! We successfully opened another shop outside Syrrup! We even have enough to afford individual dust to store up!” She looked down on her phone and sighed. “I know Mir Ali will visit Syrrup in the near future… I just hope I’ll get enough dust reserves to meet him in person! Can you imagine that?”

Marinette forced a smile. Rose was such a bright person. It saddened Marinette that she was forced to live down in this place. Sometimes, Marinette wondered why she was even born a human when she had so many monster tendencies.

“Um… Mir Ali sounds cool,” Juleka mumbled, a hand on her friend’s hair. “I hope you get to see him.”

“Thanks, Juleka! Oh, but I hope you can go as well! This monster is wonderful!”

“I guess I can relate to that feeling,” Marinette said, her thoughts wandering to Adrien’s soft smile.

“… Marinette, are you blushing?”

“What? No!” She denied Rose’s observation, cursing her heated cheeks. “Pff… Me? Blushing? Why would I? Haha!”

The two girls’ faces brightened. Rose slapped her hands on her cheeks.

“Oh, fluffbun, Marinette! Do you have a monster crush as well?”

“I… I…”

“Ooh, that’s so romantic!” Rose cooed, grasping Juleka’s hands in excitement. “I hope you get to spend time with them!”

“Well, he’s in my class,” Marinette admitted, holding her arms. “So, I guess I’m spending as much time with him as I can.”

Rose deflated a bit at her tone.

“Oh. Does that mean you won’t try to have him as your boyfriend?”

“What’s the point in that?” Marinette reasoned, shrugging. “I-it would only go as far as that, anyway.”

“… I see. I understand,” Rose finally said with a nod, looking down. “I guess those types of things aren’t worth pursuing if you can’t fully commit to your love.” She looked up at the ceiling. “I mean, having to keep things like this a secret from a boyfriend… that’s-”

“Oh, shoot!” Marinette’s eyes widened and she straightened. “I’m sorry, girl, but I just remembered I left someone waiting. I really should head back to them before they get worried!”

“Ah, of course!” The two girls waved as she ran out of the boat. “See you around soon, Marinette!”

“Bye, girls!”

She almost forgot to call upon her human disguise. Thankfully, Tikki was here to remind her.

_ By the way, Tikki, what do you think of Chat’s idea of finding out more about the ‘Miraculous’ thing at the library? _ Marinette asked.

‘ _ I think looking through every possible place helps,’  _ the spirit said hesitantly, before continuing. ‘…  _ But to be honest with you, Marinette, I don’t think he can find anything there. This ‘Miraculous’ name may sound familiar, but I think this relates to Brigitte specifically, and I don’t recall her ever going to Syrrup’s burrow library.’ _

“Hmm…”

‘…  _ Another thing, I… I don’t know if we should look for it if Plagg doesn’t want us to.’ _

Marinette frowned as she went through the library’s door and toward the great hall.

_ Are you sure? We have to look for ways to get your memories back soon, though. Think of Chat Noir. Plagg said one Amalgamate was able to track the ring’s signal when active. What will happen if another appears? _

‘…  _ I guess that’s true…’ _

Marinette bit her lips as she looked for the blond boy.

_ I’m sure Plagg means well and wants to protect us. But if Chat argued a point well enough today, it’s that being exposed to the truth is more beneficial to us than being shielded from it, whatever it is. _

‘ _ Perhaps…’ _

Marinette could feel Tikki’s reticence, but she spotted her partner nose-deep into a book and headed for him. When he did not look up when she came close, she smiled and looked at the book’s title.

“… A Guide to Human Anatomy? Are you looking for our secret weaknesses?”

Chat startled and relaxed when he saw her seat beside him.

“Ah, my l-Lotus.” He put down the book, open at an illustration of a human body. “I guess you could say I wanted to have a peek at your inner self.”

“Pretty gross, huh?” She said with half a smirk. “Compared to magic bodies, anyway. Although, really, it’s pretty close to other animal anatomies, so it’s not something monsters are that unfamiliar with.”

“I guess not… Although I object at the ‘gross’ comment. I think you should be more open to seeing physical innards as having a certain type of aesthetic.” He traced the drawing with a nod. “I’ve seen monster models than can pull off amazing things that looks similar to this.”

“Typical monster thinking,” Marinette answered with an eye-roll. Chat Noir gave her a surprisingly sharp glower.

“Who’re you calling ‘typical’?”

“Who’d you think, Buttercup?” She stuck her tongue at him before turning more serious. “Although, you probably shouldn’t say things like ‘innards are aesthetically pleasing’, because people around may think you’re a creep.” She put a hand on her belly for emphasis. “Humans’ innards should stay  _ in _ . It’s not meant to be seen, or  _ shown _ for that matter. Unless you’re dead. Like dust for monsters.”

“Ah. That’s… okay.” Chat repressed a shudder at the mention of dust and closed the book. He put it in a pile that Marinette looked at inquisitively.

“And what else have you looked for? Seen anything about a ‘Miraculous’?”

Chat shook his head and pulled out another book.

“Sadly nothing. Although maybe something would turn up if we looked around further.” He opened the new book, which Marinette recognized as a history tome she once read. “I’ve been flipping through those, however. I’m… I’ve gotta say, this is still incredible to me.”

Noting the slight anxiety through his aura, Marinette put a hand on his shoulder.

“I guess it’s a lot to take in, huh?”

Chat nodded, pursing his lips.

“I only skimmed through… but it’s like Plagg said. Dust-eaters… humans… you’ve been around for as long as we have. Pulling the strings behind the scene.”

“Our government, yeah,” Marinette said softly. She looked around, but the hall’s reverberation meant their conversation was lost into the low ambient noise the others were making. “The Human Masquerade cannot work without humans manipulating monsters’ own politics. I… yeah.”

Was there anything else to say, really? It was not like Marinette could sugarcoat the truth now that Chat had access to the blunt version. And it was not like she could say anything that would make it sound nice either. She was part of the monsters’ silent oppression.

Chat Noir seemed relatively calm, but she could feel the turmoil in his aura. A part of her wanted to reach it and comfort him, but this was really not something she felt he would be happy with as a monster.

Chat did nothing to remove her hand from his shoulder, though. It was only when Marinette checked the time on her phone and winced that he reacted.

“We should probably head back out. I need to get home before my parents worry, and I know you mentioned your family was strict.”

“They don’t know that I’m out.” Chat stated, but followed Marinette when she stood up. They put the books in a box at the hall’s entry where they would be stored back by the employees, and headed to the market once more.

Chat was unusually silent as they slalomed through the crowd. Marinette was wondering what she could say to him to release the tension when she bumped into someone violently enough to fall to the ground. Pain hit her. For half a second, she almost lost concentration and dropped her form.

“Urg! What is this? Watch where you’re going, plebeian!”

“My la-Lotus!”

Chat’s firm hands pulled Marinette up before she could analyze who that shrill voice belonged to. When she met the cold blue gaze of the blonde girl dressed in a yellow jacket and striped shirt, Marinette’s eyes widened.

“ _ Chloé _ ?’ she blurted out. “What are yo-” Her hands immediately covered her mouth before she could further exacerbate her blunder. She was not ‘Marinette’ right now!

Chat’s hold on her arms tensed. Chloé looked at her disguised self and Chat with a quirked eyebrow.

“Huh? Do I know you? Oh, who am I kidding! Of course you know me!” Chloé flicked her ponytail in a dramatic gesture. “Who in this hellhole would not know of the one and only mayor’s daughter, Chloé Bourgeois?”

“… Chloé?” Chat’s whisper sounded surprised but Marinette was too preoccupied in wanting to put as much distance as possible with the nasty human girl to pay it much mind.

“Right. Y-yeah. Sorry, for causing you trouble.” Marinette forced a grin, groping from Chat’s hand as she kept her eyes on her school archenemy. “We’ll be on our way.”

“Sure, sure. Move along, nobody needs you here!” Chloé said without looking up from her phone, tapping her foot. “Where  _ is _ he? He should be here already!”

“Are you looking for me, my little princess?” A man’s voice dripping with honey rose from the crowd. The town’s mayor himself appeared, dressed in his professional suit and giving his daughter a tentative smile. “I expected you to wait for me up there until this was done.”

“Daddy! Finally!” She crossed her arms and huffed. “Well, I wasn’t going to let you buy it without seeing it myself, you know?”

“Right, right.”

Seeing the scene unfold, Marinette knew she wanted to be anywhere but around those two. Unfortunately, Chat was not budging from his spot. His eyes were still transfixed on Chloé, like she was the cat, and he was a mouse. The only saving grace to this was that the Mayor and his daughter were too busy talking among themselves to notice.

“Did you bring the whole payment, daddy? This jewelry store only takes direct transaction!”

“Of course, of course!” The mayor turned to two men carrying large bags who were following his path and he clapped. “Now, come on! Hurry up! Uh, why don’t you lead the way, my little princess?”

Chloé snorted and strutted forward, followed by her father and the two men with the bags. Marinette caught sight of the glittering silver of dust particles floating through the tissues’ gaps, and felt her insides contract in disgust.

And yet, her reaction was nothing compared to the unbridled horror that filled Chat’s aura. In sheer instinct, she wrapped it up with hers and clenched her fingers around his. She looked up and saw his deceivingly human eyes follow the bags.

“Chat…” She muttered.

“That’s so much…” he said hoarsely. “So many… so many must have… I didn’t realize…”

Marinette gritted her teeth as she kept hold of him. A sudden realization came to her.

“You… you didn’t know…” She searched through his eyes, but he was still looking at the bags. “Did you figure it happened like the first time we met? Taking it out of… the living?”

When he looked at her in horror, she realized she had guessed right. Chat had thought he knew. Chat had not realized what he did  _ not  _ know.

“I… I thought  _ some _ … but…” His eyes wandered back at where the mayor and Chloé had headed off. “This many… a-and Chloé-”

“She’s someone we should stay away from,” Marinette affirmed with a dark look. “Anyone who would spend this much dust on jewelry is bad news.”

“Chloé… and the Mayor… The town’s  _ mayor  _ is a human…”

Marinette winced. That was something else a monster would not take well. Furthermore… She looked at her partner more closely. His attitude… Did he  _ know _ Chloé?

‘ _ If he does, that’s not something that should concern us.’ _

The human girl shook her head at Tikki’s comment. She was right. This was not what Marinette should be concerned with. She gently tugged at Chat’s arm until he followed. Even as they left the market, her partner walked in a daze.

Marinette gave him worried looks, but she had no idea of what she could tell him that would be comforting. She could not lie to him, and the truth was horrifying to any monster.

‘…  _ Maybe shielding people from truth is not a bad idea sometimes.’ _

Marinette swallowed with difficulty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/)!
> 
> Next update on Friday.


	13. A Human Soul

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and your kudos! Hope you enjoy this update!

“Chat is not gonna fall down, is he?”

This was a weird question to ask out loud, but the thought had troubled Marinette since they had both split up after the market the day before. It had prevented her from fully enjoying her time spent with Alya. The fox had just gone home after one last game of Ultimate Mecha Strike III, which Marinette won, even distracted, because Alya was not really that much of a gamer.

After her friend went home, Marinette was left with her ruminating thoughts as her main distraction. She pulled out an old yo-yo from a toybox she was exploring and played with the strings.

‘ _Chat is a young monster, and he has Plagg with him,’_ Tikki answered sagely. ‘ _Even if he was shaken, he’s not likely to lose all hope in one go.’_

“He’s still weakened though, isn’t he?” Marinette said, her eyes on the yo-yo bouncing up and down on the string. “He may not have said anything, but… The way he smiled when he left… it’s obvious he took a blow to his soul.”

‘ _That’s the risk of any monster knowing the truth. But he’s not the first monster to find out about it. Besides… he was ready to go and learn the truth, even if he was not necessarily prepared for the blow.’_

“No one is,” Marinette mumbled with a sigh. She caught the yo-yo in her hand and fell back on her chaise with a sigh. “Humans are the worst, Tikki.”

‘ _Humans have many qualities, Marinette.’_

The girl chuckled, but there was no humor to it.

“That doesn't prevent us from being ‘the worst’, though, does it? Monsters have the same qualities humans have and none of the nasty parts.”

‘… _Would you rather have been born a monster instead?’_

Marinette raised her hand to look at the grasped yo-yo before answering.

“I think most humans have that wish one time or another.”

‘ _And do you? Right now?’_

Marinette’s free hand softly grazed one of the earrings.

“Since you’ve come into my life, not so much.”

She still had that desire. Just not for everything. Having to renounce loving her crush was something she still could not avoid, and she regretted that. But she was free from having to do the twisted ritual of eating monsters’ remains just to fit in. That counted a lot. And as much as she envied monsterhood, being human granted her the privilege of knowing the truth about her world. And it was a truth that, no matter how horrible, she could not want to forget.

She wondered if Chat felt the same.

“I wish we had a patrol together tonight. I really think that we should talk about what happened at the market.”

‘ _I think he needs his time alone.’_

“I wonder how he sees me now.” Marinette leaned on her side, looking up as the covered window of her balcony hatch. “He knows dust-eaters beyond fictional images now. The ugly insides. I don’t think you can look at this and claim it’s ‘aesthetically pleasing’.”

‘ _I think Chat’s opinion of you isn’t going to drop because of this.’_

Marinette was unsure how to answer. She let her attention wander to the yo-yo and kept playing with it while lying down.

‘… _Maybe this could work as a weapon,’_ Tikki suggested after the fifth bounce.

“Maybe,” Marinette agreed vaguely. She supposed that _could_ work. It had range and it could be used in a non-lethal way. Marinette figured she might go with it.

‘ _For what it’s worth, I don’t think humans are the worst either, Marinette. Especially not you,’_ Tikki said, a soft fondness in her voice. ‘ _After all, you sought my help to save your friend’s life. And from the moment I gave you my powers,_ not once _have you thought of using them to hurt people. I had to personally remind you that you don’t need to hold back your magic use with me, and you still refuse to abuse it. You’re responsible and caring toward both your family and your partner. Everything you do, you do it while taking others into consideration.’_

Marinette stopped breathing for a second, stunned at Tikki’s declaration. She felt her friend’s presence coil around her soul in an invisible hug.

‘ _All in all, Marinette, if you’re indeed a human being, then I can say that humans are worth the trouble. For all the bad things in the world, you are_ not _bad. And you, and other humans like you, deserve a chance to live peacefully, side by side with monsters.’_

Marinette wondered where the tears had come from. They filled her eyes so fast it was a wonder she even had the time to wipe them away before they soaked the bed.

She had not realized how much she needed to hear this. She sniffled. Her throat was still too tight for her to speak out loud, so she said it in her head.

_Thank you, Tikki. It means so much to hear you say that._

‘ _I’m glad I could make you feel this way, but know that I mean it all. And I’m sure Adrien would mean it too, were he to see you as I do’_

This time, Marinette choked a small cry.

–

“ _And you’re telling us they just left after that?”_

“ _YES OH MY LOORD! IT HAPPENED SOOO FAST! OK, SO FIRST I WAS JUST WALKING MY BABY BROTHER TO THE PARK AND THEN… and then THIS WHITE THING CAME AND ATTACKED US!… Aand then, we wake up in this crowd and there’s those two weirdos in black and red still standing sharing a fist-bump. And then, the red one made some speech about not getting worried AND THEY JUMPED AWAY INTO A BLACK HOLE! WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?”_

“ _That’s, uh, strange indeed…_ cough… _well, as this upstanding citizen has described, our two new protectors, Ladybug and Chat Noir, have kept their word after the attacks on Françoise Dupont School and our beloved Syrrup Tree! They are now patrolling Syrrup’s street to defeat the strange beings they call ‘Amalgamates’! It seems that we are indeed witnessing the birth of new heroes! This was Nadja Chamack, at the ready for more news on-”_

“And _for all the latest news on Chat Noir and Ladybug’s activities, check out the Ladyblog on your very own intranet! I even managed to capture footage of the most recent fight as it happened-”_

“ _Excuse-me, miss, but this is not your place to-”_

“ _And remember to send in all your private Ladybug and Chat Noir’s footage to the site-”_

“ _Get away from the camera-”_

“ _This is Alya Césaire, reporting in-”_

“Papa?” Marinette peered into the living room, seeing her father sitting on the couch. “The volume of the TV seems pretty loud. Isn’t mama already sleeping?”

“Oh, Marinette! I didn’t realize you were still up.” Tom took the remote and lowered the sound of the TV, still squinting at it. “Say, isn’t that girl your friend? That doesn’t look like a good place for a teenager to hang around.”

Sensing the underlying question, Marinette bit her lips and shook her head.

“Y-yeah, Alya can get a bit… ‘hyper’ about Ladybug and Chat Noir…” She clutched the folder she was carrying on her chest. “You don’t have to worry, though. I never follow her when she goes where the danger is.”

Mostly because she was usually already at the scene where it was happening, clad in red and trying her best to not die, but she did not think her father needed to know that. Tom’s eyes wandered on his daughter, and his eyes lit in curiosity.

“What’s that you’re carrying? It looks like…” His eyes softened and she flinched. “Oh, honey… are you still going through it?”

Marinette did not answer. She clenched the Watch’s report on Brigitte’s demise more closely. She made no move to leave, however, prompting Tom to pat the couch he was sitting on. Hesitantly, she took the invitation and sat, letting her papa put an arm around her.

“… It’s a hard time for you, isn’t it?”

She nodded. Although she was not sure her father had an inkling of what she was actually going through, his comfort helped. She put the folder on her lap and caressed it, trying to figure out a plausible reason for her interest.

“It’s just…” She felt Tikki’s attention and she swallowed. “It feels like I hardly knew her. Even if I’m supposed to have spend a lot of time with her. And now… and now, she’s gone. So I will never find out more.”

“Sweetie pie,” he muttered softly, bringing her closer to his large body. “It’s a sad truth that new memories can’t be made with your aunt any longer.” He gently put a hand on the folder. “But there are better ways to learn about her as a person than reading through… _this_. Your mother and I can both tell you about her if you want. And we have photo albums to share.”

She unhappily let him take the folder away from her. If her primary objective had been to get to know Brigitte better, he was right. But Marinette had gone through the folder in the hope of finding out more about her death and Tikki’s ‘Miraculous’.

Unfortunately, she could share neither of those things, so she just sighed and forced a smile.

“You’re right, papa. I just…” Her eyes strayed on the now muted TV. “I guess things are just overwhelming right now…”

Tom followed her gaze with a ‘hmm’.

“Your mother and I, we’ve noticed our stock of dust hasn’t been depleting as fast as it usually does.” Marinette almost stopped breathing, but Tom gave no hint that he had noticed. “We understand your reticence with it, but we worry about you, honey. I know this is hard, but dust is necessary for our survival. Don’t feel like you should restrain yourself because of what happened. You’re looking like you’re overworking yourself at night with your design projects. Being tired means more inattention during the day, and more risk of dropping your cover. If you want us to let you work late, you will need to take your dust.”

Marinette felt a weight in her stomach, but she nodded. She had no choice if she wanted to freely patrol with Chat.

‘ _Taking dust on you doesn’t mean using it,’_ Tikki noted.

Marinette knew that. But she still did not know what to do with it, then. Tikki’s approval was still a small comfort. She absently touched her earlobe.

If her parents knew… if her parents had earrings like Tikki’s… they would get rid of their dust habit in a heartbeat. She knew.

So many would…

“But I understand you feeling overwhelmed by what’s happening,” Tom continued, eyes on the robotic announcer as he was relaying the rest of the newscast. “First, those white creatures, then this ‘Ladybug’ and ‘Chat Noir’… sometimes I really wish that their claims to monsters are true, and that they actually are town protectors. I feel like we need more of those.”

Marinette’s heart felt heavy as she leaned further into her dad’s side.

“… Maybe they are telling the truth,” she tentatively defended.

“Maybe,” he simply answered. He then shut the TV off and sighed. “Well, we should be heading off. Your mother wouldn’t want a pair of undead as husband and daughter tomorrow,” he joked, his smile making his brown mustache look larger. “And as for Brigitte, I’ll talk to your mother about what we’ve discussed. There may be some things we could look for that will make you understand her better. Maybe we could even look at some of her personal belongings from the dusting ceremony? I know Sabine wanted to look through those.”

Tom chuckled when he saw Marinette’s smile. His back was facing her when her smile fell and a look of realization replaced it.

Once she was back in her room, Marinette practically jumped on the box she had left untouched since she had taken the earrings from it. She felt Tikki observing her movements as she frantically took out various belongings.

‘ _You don’t believe information on the ‘Miraculous’ would have been that close all this time, do you?’_

“Either way, I have to check it,” Marinette mumbled back as her fingers brushed through burnt paper. She froze and took out the folded documents with caution, singed and sometimes almost gone, but still readable. She stared at the printed words of papers that looked like they had been saved from a fire.

A fire. Oh, god. Why was it so familiar?

And this…

“I can’t believe it. It’s right here.”

She spotted the word ‘Miraculous’ written up on the left corner of a printed letter. It looked mostly administrative, but this was not what brought Marinette’s attention.

“A place,” Marinette realized. “The ‘Miraculous’ is the name of a place! Not just _earrings_! Some sort of laboratory…”

‘… _That… Did the Watch and Plagg not say that we… I… had destroyed a lab?’_

Marinette frowned. They destroyed a lab that Plagg said was linked to Hawkmoth’s whereabouts. Did this mean…

“Looks like Plagg have some explaining to do,” she concluded in a low voice.

\--

“Girl, you’re spacing out again. Are you okay?”

“Sorry!” Marinette snapped her attention back to Alya and hoped that her fox friend would not look through the classroom window as she just did.

Chat Noir was running around the school on rooftops again.

It was not the first time Marinette had spotted his black feline figure disappear behind a chimney. And because of that, she was convinced others had noticed as well. She did not know what made her partner so eager to use his abilities in the middle of the day when no attacks were happening, but she felt like she really needed to address this with him. This was starting to get dangerous.

… Well, she could probably address it at the same time she confronted Plagg on her new Miraculous finding.

_I don’t understand why he even hid that. We need to know if Hawkmoth has any links to you!_

‘ _I… yeah… you’re right.’_

“Girl!” Alya’s paws were on Marinette’s shoulders, making her squeak in surprise. “You’re still at it! Seriously, is everything okay?”

“A-ah ye-yeah, sorry Alya.” Marinette clicked her mandibles and scratched her neck. “I’ve had a tight schedule on commissions this week.”

“Yeah, I can see that! I mean, wow, I’m running around almost every night to catch footage of Ladybug and Chat Noir and even _I_ don’t look as exhausted as you are! I know that you’re aiming to be the next ‘Agreste’ and take over the world of fashion, and I’ve seen your winning design at that fancy hat contest last year, but you’re not even fourteen yet! You’ve got some time!” The fox turned coy as she made two fingers walk on Marinette’s carapace. “Not to mention that there are _other_ ways for you to become the next ‘Agreste’, if you know what I mean.”

“Alya!” Marinette threw her friend a mock outraged look and huffed, crossing her two pair of arms. “If I want Gabriel Agreste to notice my talents, I’ll do this on my own merit. Not through romancing his son!”

“I mean, you can do both…”

Marinette opened her mouth to reply and stopped when Nino and Adrien entered the classroom, chuckling. Nino saw the two girls and summoned his bubble bullets with a laugh.

“Heads up, foxy!”

The greeting bullets flew toward them. Before Marinette could analyze what she was doing, combat reflexes took over. Her hands moved and she threw her own buzzing bullets to intercept the bubbles.

They exploded on contact in a wide array of colorful flower pattern that lit the whole room.

Marinette stood frozen, aware of everyone’s gaze on her at her flashy display of bullet magic. There was a short silence before Nino spoke.

“Wow… Marinette, dude. Since when do you do ‘greeting cards’ bullets?”

“That was waay over the top for Nino,” Alya noted before grinning widely. “But it was super pretty! Did you just overcompensate for all those greetings you missed?”

“Well, uh…” Marinette massaged the back of her head with a nervous chuckle, her antennas vibrating. Most of her classmates had turned back to what they were doing, but they all seemed to share smiles. Greeting bullet patterns were friendly displays of affection meant to put monsters in a good mood, and this one certainly did.

The only sour one in the audience was Chloé, who gave Marinette the dirtiest glare she could manage with insect eyes before turning back to her manicure work.

And Adrien… Adrien was looking at her with a huge smile.

“I’m not surprised your bullets are so pretty, Marinette,” he commented when he and Nino came to their desk. “After that last flight you did, I could tell your magic reserve was impressive, and you know how to use it well! Have you considered becoming a professional light-graphist?”

Marinette almost strangled herself at being so close to him. When she gazed into his shining emeralds, she felt like the world around them had disappeared. She could die of happiness right this instant, and regret nothing.

Regretfully (or thankfully), Alya cut them both away from this moment by pulling on Marinette’s carapace and grinning madly at Adrien.

“Oh, Marinette has a career plan already, you know? She’s into _fashion_. I heard you Agrestes knew a thing or two about it.”

Adrien blinked in surprise and his ears flicked. Marinette’s wings started buzzing in embarrassment and she glared at her friend.

“Alya!” She hissed before pushing her friend back and hunching down in shame. “I’m so sorry, Adrien! I don’t know what… I mean… I-”

“So your hobby is fashion?” Adrien gave her a casual smile. “I heard Nino mention you were doing crafting projects. Is that related?”

Marinette’s buzzing intensified as Alya gave her a triumphant smile. Barely able to meet Adrien’s gaze, the bug-looking girl wriggled her many hands together.

“I… I’m making some hats nowadays…”

Adrien’s face lit up. His soft tail curled down.

“I would love to see some of them! If your design on bullet patterns is anything to go by, I bet they’re great!”

“I-I-I-I wouldn’t go _that_ far, hahahahah!” Her mouth was stretched so wide it was hurting, but by _god_ was he gorgeous when he was excited for something! She saw the way Nino was looking at Alya with the same knowing grin and she realized the cat monster was literally the only one among them who was unaware of the effect he had on her.

The knowledge did not make it any more tolerable when he leaned forward and smiled softly.

“I have faith in you. I’m no fashion expert, but I’m ready to offer my limited knowledge whenever you need it.”

“I… It’s okay… You-you don’t have to ruffle yourself- _I mean_ _trouble yourself!_ F-for me!”

He laughed.

“Believe me, you’re the least trouble I’ve had to deal with in weeks! I’m happy to help!” His gaze lost itself to the side for a moment and his smile thinned. “In truth, that greeting pattern was my highlight of the day.” When the teacher walked in, he and Nino went to their seat, waving. “Glad we had this talk!”

The lesson started and Marinette’s eyes were still locked on the boy of her affections. Had she dreamed this interaction? Because it sure felt like she was still dreaming. This had been the most talking they had since the beginning of school year! And it had gone well? Somewhat?

Alya’s elbow on her side brought her back to present time and she slightly glared at the fox before starting to take notes.

At least, she had successfully brought a real smile on Adrien’s lips. When she thought about it, her crush had always looked a bit subdued. She knew he was doing work for his father as a model, and she supposed this explained the tiredness he always seemed to radiate under his natural beauty. Her idol Gabriel Agreste may have been a genius in terms of fashion, but she could not say he had seemed as brilliant when dealing with his son Adrien. His son’s birthday had been during the first week of school, and the only gift she knew Adrien received was a handmade scarf she knitted for him… although that one seemed to have been misinterpreted to be from his father, but she never had the heart to correct his assumption.

For a monster, Adrien did not look that hopeful. Marinette knew this was ridiculous to worry, as he was famous and had many people looking after his health, but she still sometime wondered if…

‘ _He seems to be happy after talking to you.’_

She bit her lips at Tikki’s comment, unable to fully contain her joy about that fact.

Yes, maybe she could not build a life with Adrien, but perhaps being his friend and giving him happiness was more than enough.

She felt Tikki’s contained comment at the back of her mind, and she sighed.

_What is it, Tikki?_

‘ _I was just thinking…_ you _deserve happiness too, Marinette. You shouldn’t forget yourself in the process of thinking of others.’_

 _I’m not._ Marinette shrugged, pen gliding on her tablet as she desperately tried to catch up with the lesson. _I’m happy if he’s happy._

‘… _Well, I think he’ll be happy knowing you’re happy as well.’_

_That would be nice if that was the case._

‘ _And I think it’s entirely possible for you to vanish off the human grid with my help once you’re an adult.’_

Marinette’s pen slid too fast. She hurriedly wiped out the line she just traced, her eyes wide at the spirit’s implication.

_Tikki… You can’t mean-_

‘ _Brigitte did it.’_

“She’s-” Marinette snapped her mouth shut, thankful she had only been whispering. _She’s dead, Tikki._

‘ _Because of Hawkmoth’s pursuit,’_ Tikki said, her voice holding a strange firmness. ‘ _Once this is done. Once Hawkmoth is no more, you will be free to reach your happiness, Marinette. Wherever this happiness may be found, I’ll help you.’_

It took every ounce of effort from Marinette to stop shaking.

More than once, Marinette had wondered if Tikki held a different kind of purpose than the fight against the Amalgamates. And it was whenever the topic of Adrien was breached.

It was clear as day to Marinette that Tikki wanted Marinette to pursue the monster, in spite of the obvious incompatibilities. It had taken this moment for Marinette to gather her courage and ask the earrings’ spirit directly. Tikki’s answer was surprisingly forward.

‘ _I cannot remember much of anything beyond my time with Brigitte, but yes, I do sense a purpose in me. I can feel that the earrings were made to help humans forge healthy bonds with monsters… Maybe I’m wrong… but I choose to believe otherwise. Humans and monsters have more in common than you believe, Marinette. And without the use of dust, humans and monsters should be able to forge any sorts of bonds they wish.’_

 _That’s a nice thought,_ Marinette finally thought back.

‘ _That’s what I believe in.’_

Marinette found nothing to reply to that. Maybe she wanted to believe it as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) and [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for helping me with this work!
> 
> Next update will be June the 3rd.


	14. Ideals and Stripes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this!

“The property of the Level Of Violence, abbreviated as ‘LOVE’, was first discussed by professor Gaster in the early fifth century of the fourth millennia, PC,” professor Mendeleiev droned out as she scribbled the equation on the class’s large board. “It goes into detail on the nature of the corruption of a soul through violent acts, and the following increase in one’s capacity to call upon their killing intent-”

Marinette’s attention, already failing due to Mendeleiev’s class being the last of the day, was drawn to the table behind Adrien and Nino’s. Chloé was showing something to Sabrina, her ‘friend’, although she acted more like a servant. Whatever it was seemed to be worthy of the slime girl’s admiration. When Sabrina reached at the box with a slimy hand, however, Chloé batted it away haughtily.

“You look, you don’t touch,” Marinette heard her whisper. This brought an eye-roll to the disguised human. With her attitude, Marinette would not be surprised if Chloé had gained a few ‘Levels Of Violence’ of her own already.

“I don’t know what came to those scientists’ minds to name something that increased killing intent ‘LOVE’; something must’ve been seriously bugged with them,” Alya muttered when the class finally ended. “No offense, girl.”

“None taken,” Marinette replied as she put her tablet away, glad the day was finally reaching its end. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a scientist that didn’t have a few screws loose.”

Alix’s hissing growl made Marinette jump and she and Alya turned to her.

“Don’t get into the topic of ‘scientists’ right now, I can’t deal with more of this!”

“But there is much more to discuss about modern day scientists, Alix,” Max’s wrapped finger rose from the table behind Alix. “My calculations say we’ve only talked with you about 26.4 percent of what Dr. Alphys accomplished, for example.”

“Oh, brother!” Alix groaned exasperatedly and dramatically put her hands around her head. “I can’t deal with all this geek talk right now.”

“Aww is the wittle Alix unable to deal with the awesomeness of Max’s scientist knowledge?” Kim mocked the reptilian girl as he put his canine arm around her shoulder. “Hey, bet I can hold on longer than you!”

“It truly is an amazing subject!” Markov, Max’s table neighbor, agreed, their ghostly white eyes shifting into little hearts. “All the more when we talk about Dr. Alphys’s most recent invention!”

“Indeed,” Max concurred with a nod, his four eyes on the screen of his phone. “Her research on robotics will be a new dawn for ghosts and possession!”

“Urg. That’s it. I’m heading out,” Alix announced with a growl, taking Kim’s arm off her shoulder and eyeing the empty seat beside her. “Huh. Mylène’s not back from her bathroom break? She left her bag and everything.”

“I’ll go look for her.” The giant stone form of Mylène’s boyfriend, Ivan, took the absent classmate’s backpack and walked off the classroom. As he walked out, Marinette saw Chloé fly-tackle Adrien and show the box’s content to him. She finally pulled it out, and Marinette could see that this was a golden bracelet with encrusted precious stones.

Were it from anyone but Chloé, Marinette would not have believed they were real, but she recalled her trip to the underground market a few days prior, and her expression darkened. It looked like the queen bee had spent a large amount of dust on purchasing the bracelet. If there had been no reason for Marinette to loathe Chloé before, there was one now. Her only comfort was that Adrien did not look that impressed by her effort. If anything, he looked a bit sick. His excessive workload was obviously catching up to him.

“I know ogling is fun, girl, but you’ve gotta listen to this!”

Alya took Marinette by one of her arms and dragged her to the circle made by Max, Kim and Markov around Max’s phone.

“Okay,” the fox said as they joined, “ _ Now, _ you can start, Max.”

“So, as I was saying, this decade’s progress of technology has been nothing short of amazing, in no small part thanks to Dr. Alphys.” Max showed the face of a yellow lizard monster with glasses and a nervous smile. “Specifically, her knowledge in robotics. You all know about Mettaton, of course?”

“How could we not?” Kim barked a laugh. “The guy’s been almost single-handedly responsible for all those modern TV entertainment deals! I watch his MTT cooking shows with my mom all the time!”

“Yeah, I even heard the guy’s been a huge part on the Hunting Spear’s successful first season!” Alya added with a grin, making Marinette cringe.

“Yes. I heard so too.” Max tapped on his phone again. “More importantly are his origins. You might know that before he became a famous robot announcer, he was a ghost.”

“Like me!” Markov added excitedly. Kim’s ears perked.

“Oh, wow, really? So he possessed a robot body and incarnated into it? That’s pretty awesome!”

“Awesome, indeed, but technically incorrect,” Max said with a knowing smirk. “As you know, ghosts, being born incorporeal, require possession of a physical object and imprint on it strongly enough to incarnate and finally gain the full experience of a corporeal body. However, this act not only necessitates finding the right body, but also means that once the ghost is bound, the process isn’t reversible, and they have to live with what they have.”

“Which most ghosts are fine with, but it can be quite limiting if you incarnate on a body that degrades over time,” Markov added. “Not to mention the process necessitates strong emotions that ghosts have a hard time producing.”

“Right.” Max nodded. “Which is the very reason why Mettaton’s case is so interesting, because he never naturally incarnated.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I am one hundred percent serious.” He showed his phone again, this time showing an image of a robotic body. “His body and his incarnation were both artificially engineered by Dr. Alphys herself. This ghost and his new robot body are the result of her soul science research.”

“Research that may lead to the incarnation of many more ghosts into robot bodies one day!” Markov completed excitedly. “Oh, how I’d love to have my own robot body!”

“I already have the schematics for a prototype ready on my phone. We should be working on it together at home.”

“We could? That’d be awesome, Max!”

Marinette smiled at Markov’s enthusiasm, but before she could say anything, Alya had dragged her off again into a deserted part of the classroom.

“So?” the fox asked in a conspiring tone. “What are your thoughts?”

Marinette reeled back a bit.

“Uh… on what?”

“Robots, girl!  _ Robots! _ ” She brought her own phone up and showed a picture of two familiar faces. “Ladybug and Chat Noir!”

Marinette took a moment to blink before delving into clicking giggles. Alya’s ear twitched in annoyance.

“Stay focused, girl!”

“You, hehe, you think Ladybug and Chat Noir are  _ robots _ ? Come on, Alya!”

“I don’t think they are  _ necessarily _ robots,” Alya amended with gritted fangs. “But their magic is super suspicious if you ask me, and being robots would explain it!”

“Pfff…” Marinette barely succeeded in covering her mouth. “Why, though?”

“Their great powers, of course!”

Marinette sobered up a bit and Alya went on.

“Before I brought you in to listen, Max was talking about how Mettaton’s magic level was off the charts due to his artificial incarnation,” she explained. “Because he doesn’t have to use magic on staying incarnate like other ghosts, he keeps all his magic, and because he doesn’t even have to form a ghost body anymore, he can use even more of it!” She brought a hand on her chin and flicked her tails. “I theorized that Ladybug and Chat Noir may be like Mettaton. Monsters incarnated into physical bodies through science. And that this might be why their magic is so over the top.”

Marinette listened to her friend’s reasoning intensely. She brought her own hand to her lips.

“Are… Are Ladybug and Chat Noir really that powerful?”

She knew Chat must have been, since he was a fusion. But the cat monster never seem to display more power than she did.

Alya nodded, her eyes down on the phone.

“For real, I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed magic like theirs. In between Chat Noir’s ability to just create black holes out of reality and Ladybug being able to outright  _ restore _ the bodies of monsters that are absorbed, I don’t know which is the most impressive. You know how I go look for them and get footage of the fights myself?” The fox started massaging her arms as she shuddered. “Well, if you ever get close to either of them, you feel it. The strength of their aura. It’s almost unbearable.”

“I… I didn’t know.” Marinette’s mandibles quivered and Alya shook her head.

“Well, you’ve only got close like, once? And it was after the Amalgamate was down. But whenever they go at it, use their moves, you’re just feeling it all around. And they just use so much magic it’s like their reserves are bottomless. I swear, they’re at legendary magic level. Like,  _ fusion _ level!”

“Fusion?” Marinette hiccuped, forcing a smile. “There’s no way that’s right. Those are just legends!”

“True,” Alya nodded, crossing her arms. “But that doesn’t mean it couldn’t be reachable with today’s technology, right? Robotics is only one possible way. Maybe some other means were used to give them magic beyond normal… super-magic!” She raised a claw and smiled. “Maybe they’re both the result of a lab experiment on souls!”

‘ _ Woah… too close…’ _

Marinette laughed loudly, attempting in vain to ignore Tikki’s comment. Alya was smart. It was not like Marinette did not know already, but still!

“Lab experiments… really…” Marinette shook her head and started heading out. Max’s group were already gone from the room to their after-school activity. “I guess it’s nice to dream sometimes.”

“Hah, it’s no dream, sweetheart. I assure you. This…” Alya tapped Marinette’s muzzle before walking ahead. “… Is the world of tomorrow.”

Marinette watched her friend go with a frown. Hesitantly, she ran to her.

“Alya,” she called softly. “ _ Why _ is it that you’re so interested in Ladybug and Chat Noir? I mean, they’re great, sure… but… you seem to find them more than great…”

Alya’s smile thinned and she made a ‘hum’ noise, putting her hands behind her back.

“… You know, I’m not even completely sure now. At first, it was because seeing them fight injustice was cool, you know? Like real-life Hunting Spears?” She punched the air once. “… But more than that, I think… maybe they represent an ideal.”

“An ideal?”

Alya nodded.

“Yeah… an ideal for a better world. I know this sounds silly, because the world we live in now isn’t so bad. But… there’s always room for improvement, you know? Like how the elder monsters in politics never leave their posts for monsters that are chosen by the younger generation? In a way, Ladybug and Chat Noir… they tell us that we can all make changes for the better.” She looked down on her phone. “And if I can show everyone what Chat Noir and Ladybug really are, maybe I can spread the message too.”

Marinette was still stunned at Alya’s words when Ivan’s stone form rushed and stopped in front of them.

“Has either of you seen Mylène? Quick!”

“I… not since she left class to go to the bathroom,” Alya told him with a frown. “What’s going on?”

“I heard her scream when I went to look for her, but the bathroom was empty when I rushed in!” The stone giant babbled, still clenching his girlfriend’s backpack. “Mylène’s gone!”

Marinette exchanged a worried look with Alya before her combat training kicked in. She gave Alya a serious look.

“Alya, go warn the principal someone may be missing. Ivan!” She turned to the stone giant. “Go tell the other students about it and stay together! Don’t go somewhere you could get cornered! We might face another Amalgamate.”

She started walking toward the bathroom when Alya called her.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Not far! I’ll just check the bathroom one last time and report back to you. Maybe this is nothing!”

“Wait-”

Marinette rushed through one of the doors before Alya could say anything more. She quickly glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

“Tikki, spots on.”

With a flash of light, the heroine appeared. She quickly muttered a message through one of her compacts with communication magic. Chat was always fused, so he would receive it. Not waiting for a reply after she told him where to go, she headed toward the bathroom.

She ran through the school building, shouting at the students she crossed to evacuate. She recalled the first time she ran through the school as Ladybug, and felt a surge of confidence at her progress.

She pulled the bathroom’s door open. Her aura spread to feel any ounce of magic around.

‘ _ Seems all there’s left is residue… but there is a trail…’ _

“Then let’s track that slimy creep and-Oomph!”

“Ooops! Sorry, my lady!” The black cat monster she bumped into caught her by the shoulders and grinned. “Unfurrtunately, now is not the time to fall for me.”

“You came here quick.”

“So did you.”

She decided to not bring up witnessing his rooftop escapade this morning and looked at the direction of the trail with a frown.

“I think it might be heading toward… the library!”

“… Oh, no…”

“Yeah, there are still students over there at this hour.”

“And at least one human too.”

“ _ What?” _

She wanted to ask how he knew that, but they needed to run. As they sped through the stairs, however, he materialized his staff and gave her a worried glance.

“I saw Chloé Bourgeois heading over there.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened and she cursed.

They did not have to deal with Akumas until today. But if the Amalgamate caught her…

High-pitched screams rose from the school library.

“Chloé!”

Chat Noir extended his staff and threw himself up the stairs, opening the doors with a kick and jumping in. Panicked monsters ran out in a flood, forcing Ladybug to flatten herself against the wall and letting them pass her. When the last monster was out, she rushed to the noises of fighting with clenched fists.

The library had many bookcases. From the entry, she only caught glimpses of white and black forms exchanging blows with heavy grunts. To her horror, a familiar nasally voice echoed through the room.

“Eww! Don’t let that thing come near me!… Oh no! My hair!  _ My wings!  _ Aaah!”

Chloé. She had to get Chloé to safety, wherever she was. The Amalgamate could  _ not  _ get to her. She willed her pink wings into existence and flew up to a better vantage point. She saw Chat Noir barely holding off the goop-like Amalgamate from attacking a cornered Chloé. From his stance, it was obvious Chat was considering using one of his Catastrophe or Catacomb moves soon.

‘ _ Marinette! Remember the yo-yo idea! Maybe you can use a string to pull Chloé up and away from the amalgamate!’ _

_ I’ve never tried it as Ladybug…  _ She gritted her teeth and concentrated on the creative magic in her palm.  _ I hope this will work! _

The form she had worked on during the weekend materialized as a pink yo-yo mist. She clenched its phantom presence before throwing it toward Chloé. It bonked on the bee’s head.

“ _ Yeeouch _ !” She buzzed with her goop-covered wings angrily. “Hey! Watch it!”

“Sorry!” Ladybug winced. “Grab the end of the yo-yo so I can pull you up!”

“Are you crazy?” Chloé screeched. “There’s no way you can pull me safely!”

“Trust me, Chloé!”

In spite of her words, the bee only hesitated a second before grabbing the yo-yo tightly with all four hands. Ladybug mentally called for the yo-yo creation to pull it back to her. The bee was dragged up with a screech just as the Amalgamate slapped Chat away and lunged at her. Ladybug caught the screaming disguised human and gripped her tightly, concentrating on holding them both in the air.

When Chat saw Chloé was out of the Amalgamate’s way, he flexed his claws and called out his destructive powers.

“Let’s just finish it with a splash,” he said darkly, sprinting toward his foe. “ _ Catastrophe! _ ”

“Chloé!”

“NO! WAIT!”

“Arg! Wh-  _ Chloé _ ,  _ no _ !”

“ _ CHLOÉ _ !”

It all happened in less than a second. The Amalgamate moved from its spot. It uncovered a defenseless Sabrina in the path of Chat’s attack. Chloé struggled off Ladybug’s hold and fell down. She pushed Sabrina away. Chat barely had the time to change trajectory and send books flying in a blast of magic.

And then, Chat screamed in horror as the Amalgamate swallowed Chloé.

Ladybug watched it happen in a daze. Transfixed, she stared at the light orange that emanated from the being until it melted itself into a humanoid form. Ladybug could feel the powerful raw magic and emotion from the creature’s aura.

Its form was humanoid, female, as well. Only, its limbs were insect-like in nature, and it had yellow and black stripes all over its form. It had a long serpentine tail ending with a blade-like stinger, transparent wings, and three black eyes with blue sclera.

At its feet was the lifeless form of Chloé. Free of glamour. Her blonde-haired human self.

The insect-like being gave a passing look at the shocked heroes and Sabrina. Then, it looked down at the human body and gave it a light kick.

“Urg! Finally, some good powers! I was starting to get sick of thinking of so many things at the same time!”

It then looked up at the flying hero and smirked.

“Well, hello there, Ladybug. You’re just the insect Hawkmoth sent me to retrieve.”

The voice was Chloé’s. But this definitely was  _ not _ Chloé.

Ladybug’s scream got stuck inside her throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks, as always to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with this!
> 
> Next chapter on Friday.


	15. A New Monarch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! Here's this update's [gif](https://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/185437754812/dust-eaters-a-case-for-heroism-chapter-15/) Hope you enjoy that part!

The ‘not-Chloé’ launched at Ladybug. With a strangled yelp, the heroine threw her yo-yo. She repelled the bee humanoid away with a flash of magic.

It was huge. Taller than Marinette’s father. And its three eyes were glinting wickedly as it was sizing her up. It flew to intercept her and she threw the yo-yo again. It caught the wire with its claws this time, and laughed, dragging Ladybug toward itself.

“Keep struggling, cutie! I think I _like_ a good chase!”

“A-Akuma!” Ladybug grit her teeth as she struggled on the wire. “Why… why does Hawkmoth want me? A-and why are you following his orders? You’re his _victim_!”

And Chloé…

The Akuma snorted.

“I’m no victim, little bug. I. Am. Mayarchy. The Queen of the Hive!” The creature was almost at arm’s length when it gave Ladybug a nasty sneer. “Because of Hawkmoth, I can be the sum of my parts---greater than the whole! Sooo much better than some _lame_ monsters, you know? All I needed was this human soul as a stabilizer to be the perfect monarch… Maybe once he’s done with you, he’ll let me take _your_ soul as well-”

A wave of dark bullets flew at Mayarchy, forcing it to release the yo-yo’s chord.

“You forgot someone! _Buzz off_!”

Chat’s long staff slammed onto the Akuma’s head. It snarled as Chat landed back down on all fours, his back arched and almost hissing. Ladybug sent a wave of insect bullets, preventing the creature from targeting her partner. The Akuma flew away from the attack and chuckled.

“Ah. Yeah. The cat.” It narrowed its eyes at him. “He didn’t give much directive about you, but I suppose I have to make an effort to take you alive as well.” It flexed its claws. “Of course, I’m sure ‘alive’ doesn’t have to mean ‘whole’.”

Ladybug felt a surge of intense terror. Only, this time, she realized it was not only physical. The creature… the Akmua… it was giving off an aura so oppressing it crushed those around it. It swallowed them inside its devious pleasures. Pleasures from the fight. Pleasure from the _hurt_ inflicted on others. A twisted enjoyment she could not imagine a monster having, and she could not believe many humans could even reach.

Level Of Violence. LOVE.

Killing intent.

A lethal blow to any monsters.

Ladybug trembled, on the verge of tears. She flew in front of Chat, not daring to look at his face. The Akuma’s lips twisted up and it howled.

“Hahahahah! Oooh, you’re giving me life, girl! Such bravery! How I want you even more, now! I can feel your soul burning even brighter than that last one!”

“Stay away from her, _murderer_!”

Chat was snarling, she could hear. The feline humanoid had no humor left to give, and plenty of rage and pain. Blinking away her tears, Ladybug clenched her yo-yo’s wire.

“If you think you’re so tough.” She growled. “Then, come at me now and get it yourself!”

“It will _bee_ my pleasure!” The Akuma cackled and dived. Ladybug narrowly ducked and threw her yo-yo to steer it away from Chat. It swatted the weapon and tried to kick her. The claws of its feet ripped at Ladybug’s magic fabric as she rolled away. Chat Noir pounced and whacked the staff on its back. It screeched when it tore through one of its wings and it was forced to jump away.

Ladybug and Chat Noir faced Mayarchy tensely. In the background, Ladybug could faintly hear Sabrina sobbing. Mayarchy heard it as well. The Akuma made a move to grab the slime girl on Chloé’s lifeless corpse.

“ _NO!”_

Chat swatted at its leg, but it jumped over the staff. Ladybug threw the yo-yo and willed its trajectory into an arc this time. Mayarchy’s eyes widened when the wire caught its midsection and tied its arms to its torso. The Akuma fell with a raging scream and rolled back on its feet as Ladybug was pulling it to her.

Chat swung his staff again and sent the beast to the ground, its other wing damaged. He put his paw on its back, digging his claws almost savagely as Ladybug ran closer.

“There’s no more souls on the menu, Akuma,” he said in an eerily calm voice. “It’s over now.”

Ladybug was closing in when the being started to glow.

“Think again, fleabag!”

Lighting magic erupted from Mayarchy, catching Chat by surprise. The stunned boy screamed in pain, paralyzed as the Akuma’s tail stinger aimed at his unprotected back.

“NO!”

‘ _MARINETTE!’_

Ladybug grabbed Chat and pushed him away. A wave of intense pain exploded in her shoulder. She amazingly caught herself before completely crumbling on the ground. Her head was spinning. She vaguely heard screams and magic bullets before two strong hands pulled her up and she was face to face with a worried Chat. Her sense of hearing came back in full.

“-DYBUG! Oh, god… are you still with me?”

She blinked at Chat’s question and nodded before holding her head and looking around. Chat and herself were on one side with Chloé’s body and Sabrina. Mayarchy was on the other side, free of the restraints of the yo-yo, but clutching its arm like it was hurt.

For the first time since the beginning of the fight, the Akuma looked surprised and mildly fearful. Ladybug finally noticed something lacking from the end of its tail.

“The stinger got stuck on your back,” Chat muttered, sounding far away. “Oh god… that’s _blood_ , isn’t it?”

Ladybug only allowed herself to glance down once and take note of the red liquid dripping on the ground. Blood. Yes. The great proof that she was human.

“We… we’ve gotta get the stinger out…”

“I hardly feel it anymore,” she replied to Chat in a daze before snapping out of it in realization. She clenched her fingers and summoned her yo-yo again, testing her movements and only feeling a brief sting from the wound. “And that’s the thing with you, isn’t it?” She called out to the nervous Akuma. “You may be a big ball of concentrated magic, and you may pack up a wallop in killer intent, but you’re still not _physical_. You’re still all show for a human like me.”

Mayarchy glowered.

“Only because your unnatural magical field protects you, Ladybug. But I know I can deplete it. Then, you’ll be vulnerable to my magic!”

“She won’t be,” Chat snapped back, holding out his staff. “Because she has me.”

The Akuma snarled and made a move for the door. A familiar stone giant burst through them before Chat and Ladybug had the time to move.

“Mylène!” the stone monster roared. He looked at all the people at the scene before his glowing eyes locked on Mayarchy. “You… what are you… WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MYLENE!”

“IVAN!” Ladybug yelled.

“GET OUT OF HERE, IVAN!”

Before the stone giant could obey Chat Noir, Mayarchy swung its tail at him. The heroes screamed in horror, but with the stinger gone, all that was left was a black opening. A cat-sized orange bee flew from it and went through Ivan. The giant gasped when the magic touched him and he crumbled in a ball.

Chat and Ladybug threw their weapons at Mayarchy, but it successfully jumped onto the top of a bookcase with a cackle.

“Well, two against one seems hardly fair!” It grinned maniacally. “How about we even out the odds a little?”

Ladybug barely had the time to process what it said before a large yellow-tinted stone arm swiped at where she had just stood before. She turned to face Ivan, looking dazed, but ready to take another swing at her. A yellow magic surrounded him.

“A queen can only do better with her servants!” Mayarchy flipped its tentacle hair. “It’s always hard to find proper help. But with a school as big as this, there’s bound to still be some around that will be of use.” It threw a glance at a wide-eyed Sabrina, still lying on the ground clutching Chloé. “You, for example. Your time is better spent being my slave than hugging this useless _flesh husk_!”

Its tail sent another bee. This time, Ladybug launched at the Akuma and Chat whacked the bee to the ground. Ladybug grappled the creature, throwing them both down as she tried to play her physicality to her advantage. For a moment, it almost seemed to work. Then, Ladybug felt her strength weaken.

‘ _You’re losing blood! Look out!’_

That was when Ivan’s large fingers grasped her and threw her at the wall. Ladybug landed on the window, making it crack. She cried out in pain, and heard Mayarchy’s laugh.

“Nevermind! I won’t need magic to deal with you! That big hulk of stone can just throw you around and weaken your shield! Of course! Monsters’ blows may do little to harm you, but a wall sure will!” The Akuma looked at Ivan and pointed at Ladybug. “Seize her and do it again, slave!”

Ivan stomped at Ladybug again. She felt the rush of the wind through the cracked window and grit her teeth in determination. She took one of her compacts and threw it.

“Lucky Break!”

A swarm of glittering ladybugs surrounded her enemies. Mayarchy screeched in surprise, but Ivan kept going in spite of his blindness. Ladybug ducked out of the way when he crashed into the window with a roar. It broke into pieces when he went through and fell to the ground below.

Ladybug wasted no time rushing at a still-blinded Mayarchy Chat was keeping at bay from Sabrina. She launched her yo-yo, caught the Akuma, and swung it out of the room with a grunt. It yelped in surprise when it fell through the opening and disappeared below, leaving the library empty, apart from the heroes and Sabrina.

After a few seconds of silence, Ladybug’s legs buckled under her and Chat’s arms caught her again.

“You did it,” he muttered near her ears, sounding disbelieving himself. “Oh, _god_. Ivan…”

“N-not enough to kill a stone giant,” she muttered, “They’re tough.”

“Yeah… what about Akumas, though?”

She breathed out as an answer. She did not know what she wanted the truth to be.

“Oh… Chloé… Chloé…”

Sabrina had resumed her sobbing. Ladybug and Chat Noir turned toward her. The poor slime girl was covering Chloé’s body with her plasma mess.

‘Chloé’s body’. It still sounded fake in Ladybug’s mind.

Chat walked to it and tried to pick it up, only for Sabrina to grip it tighter.

“ _NO!_ You won’t take Chloé away from me! You have no right!”

Ladybug stepped closer, finally realizing something crucial.

“You… you recognized Chloé in her true form,” she stated, sounding far away. “But… you’re a monster, aren’t you?”

Sabrina threw her a vicious glare.

“Of course I know her! She’s my best friend! There’s no secrets between us!” She looked down at Chloé, trembling. “There never had been…”

Ladybug did not know what to do with this information. Nor could she still truly believe the scene happening before her.

For that matter, Chat did not fare any better. He was down to his knees, his tail limp and his ears flat. Yet, he was the first one to move. He stood up with a sigh and turned to Ladybug.

“We should… do something about…” He gestured at his shoulder. “Before the Akuma is back.”

Oh. Right. The stinger.

Ladybug turned, trying to look at the pointy cone on her back. Chat walked to her and grazed it with a hand.

“You…” he swallowed. “You know how to stop the blood from getting out?”

She nodded.

“Tikki taught me how to quickly heal an open wound. Just pull it.”

He nodded, but waited until she gave the all-clear before tugging the stinger off her flesh. She winced at the sudden pain, but quickly sent her magic to heal the gash. Tikki’s magic restored her suit at the same time she did her wound. She still felt dizzy from blood loss, but the pain felt distant. She knew she would have to try and check for infections later. That was the drawback of having a physical body.

Chat looked at her to see how she was doing, then, reassured, turned back to Sabrina and made a move to take Chloé’s body again.

“I-I said don’t touch her! I’ll-”

“We need to move her away,” Chat spoke in an unnaturally neutral tone. “No… no monsters can see her as she is now.”

Sabrina faltered on herself, her form almost as liquid as a puddle. She gave no sign of acknowledgment, but did nothing to stop Chat from taking the body. He stood up and cradled Chloé’s body to his chest, looking down at it, and trembling.

“It’s funny,” he muttered, “to have something to look at. It’s like she’s… sleeping.”

His aura was covered, but Ladybug just knew. Chat had told her he had lost someone already. She had suspected he knew Chloé. And now…

“Maybe we can get her soul back.” The words were out of her mouth before she could analyze what she was saying. “Maybe a transfer is still possible.”

Chloé had no visible wounds but a few scratches from a short fall. She had suffered no particular deadly physical harm. Her soul had just been pulled out by the Amalgamate and absorbed.

It was her soul that became the main fuel for the Mayarchy Akuma. A creature that used it to form a wicked persona; a caricature of what she could be. Made by Hawkmoth to hunt them down.

“I don’t think this is a healthy attitude to have, Ladybug,” Chat interrupted her train of thought. He was smiling at her with a smile that was not reaching his eyes. “You know just as I do that getting a human soul intact from an Akuma is impossible.”

She did. They had talked about it. Plagg had told them. Neither Brigitte nor the previous Chat Noir succeeded. Neither could ever save a human absorbed by an Amalgamate.

But…

“She’s still in there, though,” she said, still not completely recognizing her own voice. “She’s still used by that… _thing_. She’s still inside.”

Chat’s shoulders sagged, and he looked down at Chloé.

“I know… We… we have to free her-”

“If she’s still in there, you should get her _back_ !” Sabrina had latched onto Chat Noir’s arm, her form almost fully solid, and her translucent eyes wide. “You’re Ladybug and Chat Noir, aren’t you? You-you’re _heroes_! You promised to protect the town!”

Chat’s ears flattened. Sabrina turned to Ladybug, staring at her intently.

“You bleed. You’re a human. A dust-eater,” the slime girl said in a whisper. “You’re a human like her. You have to help. Be a hero. _Save her_!”

Chat’s tail touched Sabrina’s side, bringing her attention back to him, and he shook his head sadly.

“Sabrina, we’re really-”

“We’ll do it.”

They both turned to look at Ladybug. Chat in bewilderment, and Sabrina in joy.

“You promise? Promise me you’ll do it!”

She swallowed, then took the slime girl’s hand shakily.

“I… I do. As long as the Akuma has her soul, I’ll fight to get her back.”

Sabrina threw herself on Ladybug, covering her with a slimy hug. Chat’s expression turned into a frown. He shook his head.

“You shouldn’t make promises we can’t keep, my lady.”

Ladybug bit her lips. She agreed. But…

Her eyes fell on the sobbing Sabrina, then went up to meet Chat’s green gaze. Then, finally, they settled on Chloé.

Chloé, her bully. Chloé the spoiled brat.

Chloé, who was Sabrina’s, and possibly Chat’s friend. Chloé, Adrien’s childhood’s friend.

Chloé, whose fate played a role in the happiness of many people, in spite of her horrible character.

Chloé, who did not deserve to die.

She took out a compact, asking Tikki for the right instructions, before placing it on Chloé’s body, still carried by Chat Noir. With a few movements, she broke the compact open and spent a charge on a stronger illusion, covering Chloé’s human body once more with her bee monster form. Still looking like she was just sleeping.

The only thing unchanged was the golden bracelet on her wrist.

“I guess I’ll have to make it a promise I can keep.”

As she went through her options, something came to her mind.

“And the first step is to move on before Mayarchy comes back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next update Monday.


	16. A Ghost of a Chance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this!

They left the school library, checking the school’s courtyard at each window. Ladybug could not spot the Akuma, but she saw the possessed Ivan guarding the school entrances. She also saw an unnaturally yellow-colored Mendeleiv flying around the school, her vulture eyes scrutinizing everything. Other yellow-colored monsters were patrolling the school grounds.

“Looks like the Akuma’s been busy,” Chat said in a low voice as he looked through the window. “I wonder how many kids are still hidden inside the school…”

“I don’t know, but with all those patrols, it will be hard to get out even by flying.” Ladybug licked her lips. “Hopefully the gym room is still safe.”

Chat raised his eyebrows.

“Is that where we’re heading?”

“If luck is on our side.”

After-class PE activities. This was where half of her class had been heading. Ladybug pressed faster, followed by Chat Noir and Sabrina.

They were still in the building when Ladybug heard a familiar scream from the gym locker room’s direction. She cursed and stopped Chat with a hand.

“You need to get Sabrina and Chloé somewhere safe,” she instructed, “I’ll try to help Alya and her class.”

Chat frowned and shook his head.

“We should stick together-”

“We can’t leave Chloé and Sabrina without protection, and I have to get to those kids!” she argued back with gritted teeth. “I’m sorry, kitten. Please, trust me. I’ll call you when I’m done!”

She did not wait to see if he listened and rushed through the door leading to the courtyard, her wings buzzing madly to reach the gym. She flew past bewildered Mayarchy servants and blew the door open.

She first spotted Alya. She was facing a possessed Kim, snarling and brandishing a book protectively. Alix was lying down on the ground unconscious as Max was holding her head up with trembling hands. Mr. Damoclès, the principal, was also down on the ground, massaging his owl head. A prickle of dust was coming through a wound on his arched brow.

Everyone’s attention turned to Ladybug when she landed. Kim gave her a menacing growl and lunged at her, barking. She launched her yo-yo at the dog monster and ensnared him, forcing him on the ground with a grunt. She put her foot on his back to secure her hold and glanced around her.

“Is everyone okay?”

“Ladybug!” Alya’s face lit up and she ran toward her. “Oh, fluffbun! Thank god you’re here! Things are just crazy and my friend Marinette has gone off running after what we thought was an Amalgamate and she never came back I’m so worried-”

“Marinette’s safe,” Ladybug cut her off, the lies flowing much too easily off her lips. “She found me on the way and I gave her a lift off the school ground. I can’t do that anymore, though. There are flying mind-controlled monsters patrolling around.”

“Dude, that weird wasp monster has been doing that!” Nino’s voice came from beside the unconscious Alix. “They sent out those weird bee things that turn you into one of them if they touch you, like Kim over there!” The bubbly turtle monster put a clawed hand on his beak. “Oh, mon… and I haven’t seen Adrien come down from the library either… I just hope that he…”

Ladybug’s eyes widened.

“Adrien?”

He was at the library? He probably escaped with the others.

“Yes, he’s my best bro! A tawny cat monster! Have you seen him?”

Ladybug bit her lips and shook her head.

“No. But if he’s around, I’ll save him,” she promised. Kim made a move and she tightened her hold. “But first, I have to get you out of here before the Akuma comes.”

“The ‘Akuma’?”

A two-headed troll monster rushed through the door before Ladybug could answer. She threw Kim’s canine body at them and kicked both monsters out of the room with a jump.

“We can’t stay here,” she pressed, holding the door closed as she turned to the students. “Quick! Open the windows!”

The school principal stirred and hooted as Alya rushed to open the nearest window. She pulled away with a yelp when an orange bee flew into the room. Ladybug threw her yo-yo and dispelled the bee, still holding the door shut. Alya turned to the window and flattened her ears.

“I hear more coming! They’re swarming!”

 _No!_ She had to find a way out!

“Close the window!” Ladybug yelled at Alya. Max and Nino rushed to help. The principal stood up on shaky talons.

“Oww…” he muttered, holding his head. “Hoo, this is painful.”

“Mister Damo-err, Sir!” Ladybug called to him. “We need your help! Help us bring the unconscious students to safety!”

“Huh? What’s this?” He blinked at her owlishly. “Ladybug? _Here?_ This can’t be… Does this mean that Alya… Alya!”

“Alya!” Ladybug screamed. Another bee flew through before the window was fully shut and headed down toward the fox monster. Mr. Damoclès rushed in and pushed Alya out of the bee’s path, hooting in shock when the it went through his body. The remaining students gasped.

“ _Mister principal_!”

“Oh, no… He’s gonna turn!”

The owl monster, now colored with a sickly yellow hue, stood up slowly. His head turned on its axis in a ninety degree turn, and his round eyes met Ladybug’s. The hero tensed, still back to the door.

Nino, Alya and Max looked in horror as the owl monster charged at her, his talons wide. Ladybug gripped her yo-yo, ready to throw it.

The window of the door behind her broke. Ladybug screamed. A long misty staff hit the owl monster, throwing him at the opposite wall. Through the broken window, Ladybug heard a familiar voice.

“Bird against cat? I have a feline the odds are in my favor!” There was a knock on the door. “Can I get a free entry before the others wake up?”

Ladybug threw the door open and let the black-clad cat monster in.

“Chat!” She let her aura convey her gratefulness before turning serious. “We need to find somewhere safe for those students!”

Her partner gave her a nod and headed to a wall. He placed a hand on it and muttered.

“Cat-Walk.”

A round misty hole the size of a large monster formed. Chat Noir stepped away and bowed at the onlookers.

“The exit is open.”

“Alix needs to be carried!” Max warned. Alya and Nino rushed to help him. The principal struggled to get up and opened his eyes. Ladybug launched her yo-yo and stunned him down again as Chat readied his staff.

The students hesitantly stepped through the misty hole. Chat gestured toward it, and she nodded, running through the blackness after them.

She stepped out of the Cat-Walk’s other side. She recognized the art room's storage. Chat Noir followed through right after her and the hole of the Cat-Walk vanished.

There were people already here. Sabrina was sitting close to Chloé’s disguised body, which was lying on a table. A familiar ghost was also present, floating near. When they saw the new arrivals, Markov’s eyes turned to little hearts.

“ _Max!_ You’re still okay!”

“Markov!” Max called back, his aura filled with both relief and anger. “I thought I told you to leave the school grounds! You were the only one of us who could get help!”

“I did try to leave,” the ghost replied as they neared their friend. “But I met Chat Noir on the way, and he needed help finding a safe place for Chloé!”

“Chloé?” Alya looked at the bee monster’s immobile form and paled. “Oh, god… She… she doesn’t look like she’s breathing…” Her hands clasped her muzzle. “Sh-she’s not… fallen down?”

“No, she’s not,” Ladybug stated, her fists tightening. “The Akuma only put her under a spell.”

Chat gave her a sharp look, but did not contest her lie. Alya frowned.

“Akuma… that’s the second time you said that word… so there are more than Amalgamates?”

“Akumas are the… ‘evolved’ forms of Amalgamates, you could say,” Ladybug explained as she walked to check on Alix, reassured when she saw that the reptile was nearing consciousness. “If they’re left running around for too long, they become deadlier, and much harder to deal with.”

“But you can still beat it, right?”

“That’s what Ladybug and Chat Noir do,” Chat spoke before looking at his partner. “Ladybug, can I have a private word with you?”

Ladybug swallowed. She nodded before turning to the teens.

“We’ll do our best to keep you all safe. But know that you can make a difference to save your friend as well.” She turned to the boy wrapped in bandages. “You, especially, Max.”

His four eyes widened.

“Me? H-how can I help, Ladybug?”

“I need you to do some important research for me. One of your classmates, Marinette, she said you had the schematics of Dr. Alphys’s robotic research?”

“I… I do, yes. L-let me check my phone…”

“Thank you.” She nodded with a tight smile. “Chat and I will talk about our plan of attack while you find them.” She turned to her remaining classmates. “Can I count on the rest of you to be ready in case anyone come near?”

After their resolute nods, Ladybug turned to Chat and walked with him to a small water room. Chat looked at the students one last time before closing the door softly and giving Ladybug a frown.

“I did not appreciate you leaving me behind, my lady. Mayarchy could have cornered any of us and we would have been done for.”

She looked down guiltily, massaging her tired arm.

“I know. And I’m sorry.” She sighed. “I just had to get to Max before he was turned if I could… and Chloé _had_ to be stored somewhere safe.”

Chat huffed sadly, shaking his head.

“Chloé’s body isn’t worth your life, bugaboo.”

Ladybug bit her lips, looking at him in worry.

“… Are you saying you don’t hope to save her?”

“Putting ‘hope’ on an impossible task is a good way to lose it,” he stated somberly, looking down at his smoky tail. “Believe me. I know.”

It sounded much too real. Too personal. Ladybug felt a shiver going through her. Such negativity was unusual for a monster. All the more for Chat Noir.

“… We… never had a chance to talk about it,” she said, massaging her wrist. “What happened at the market.”

She felt the hurt in his aura, and she knew she had hit a sore spot. Chat shuddered and shook his head.

“I just… I don’t blame you,” he said, although she was not sure who he was trying to convince. “I… I don’t blame Chloé, either… or Plagg… or any of the other humans.”

Ladybug waited a little before asking.

“… But?”

“But the dust…” He licked his lips. “It… my mom… She…”

His voice strangled and Ladybug’s eyes widened. She put a hand on her chest.

“Your mother…” She swallowed. “You… lost her?”

“It was more than a year ago. I told you.” He flexed his claws. “We… f… we had a dusting ceremony. I spread her dust on her favorite books. And movies. And piano.” He raised his trembling hand up and stared at it. “But…”

Ladybug reached out for his hand, but stopped short of holding it. Before she could withdraw it, however, Chat had grasped it tightly. Their eyes met, and Ladybug saw the intense distress of his partner.

“But that wasn’t _her_ I spread, was it?” he asked in a trembling voice. “That… that wasn’t her dust that was used that day… When she fell down. When she was taken away…. That was the last time I saw any part of her.”

Ladybug felt utterly disarmed before him. She tentatively moved forward. And she was the first surprised when he did not reject her touch, instead bringing her into a shaky embrace. Like a child seeking comfort, he gripped her.

“ _That_ ’s what happens with all the dust. Doesn’t it? All our dead. You…” He shook his head. “Not _you_ … but you, still… you take it all. Inside some _bags_. That’s where she is now… or even…”

Or even consumed by some humans already. Maybe even by Ladybug herself.

She felt sick.

Chat breathed out and shook his head.

“I-it’s not you. It’s… _everything_ ,” he let out with a sniffle, and swallowed. “Everything this world is made of. The dust… mom… the Akuma… _Chloé_ …” He let out a breath near Ladybug’s ear. “It’s just… so _tiring_.”

“Don’t lose hope,” Ladybug ordered back, fear suddenly flaring through her. She gripped her partner's back and finally returned the hug. “Please, don’t lose it. I…” She swallowed. “I can’t do this alone, Chat.”

She felt something strange in his aura. He shifted his stance slightly.

“Tikki and Plagg are here too.”

“But they’re not _you_ , kitten.” She massaged his back, sending all the warm feelings he brought her through his aura. “They’re not my Chat Noir. My Buttercup, the best monster spy there is.”

This time, she felt something positive rise from his soul. He chuckled and hugged her further.

“… W-we’re just the best spies, you and I, huh, my Lotus?”

Ladybug sighed and rested her head on his neck, allowing the tiredness to take over for a moment.

“So long as you lay off the Hunting Spear references and bad puns, we’ll be getting somewhere, kitty.”

“Excuse you, my puns are of the highest calico-ber!”

Ladybug groaned and pushed him away in fake outrage.

“That was the worse yet, kitty! How deep will you dare to venture?”

Chat Noir chuckled and winked at her.

“Deep enough to worm my way into your beautiful soul, my lady.”

She snorted and shook her head, hands on her hips.

“Alright. There’s a lot left to discuss… but that will have to wait until after the Akuma.” She frowned and put her hand on her chin. “Now, the way our predecessors did it was through pulling the human soul out, right?”

Chat nodded, crossing his arms.

“Plagg said the Catastrophe move could work to do this, but this involves hitting the specific spot of the Akuma’s body where the soul is… and missing it won’t do much harm to our foe.”

“And then, the previous Ladybug used the move ‘Aphidel’ on the exposed soul and absorbed all its DT, which is what is holding the Akuma’s form all together.” She shifted her stance. “The issue with that, is that absorbing Determination out of a human soul with Aphidel shatters it.”

“There are many ways to shatter a human soul,” Chat Noir noted, raising a claw. “Using strong bullet patterns instead would let you keep your magic charge.”

“Yes, but ‘Aphidel’ needs to be performed for me to have enough DT energy for the ‘Miraculous Cure’ which restores the absorbed monsters’ body. So I have to use it.”

“And I will likely have to use ‘Catastrophe’ to pull out the soul,” Chat completed, looking at his hand. “I only have one charge left. And so do you.”

Ladybug nodded somberly. They had just enough to try and take down Mayarchy and save the monsters it absorbed… but that would mean giving up on Chloé.

She bit her lips, and sighed.

“I… there’s something I would like to attempt. To get Chloé back.”

Chat kept silent for a bit, before speaking up.

“Is this related to you wanting to find the Max kid?”

She nodded.

“I… Marinette… the bug monster, she mentioned something to me when I crossed paths with her. She said Max was showing her schematics of Dr. Alphys’s inventions.”

“Doctor Alphys?” Chat Noir repeated, “The researcher in robotics?”

Ladybug cocked her head at him.

“You know of her?”

“In passing… well…” He massaged the back of his head. “I know she created Mettaton’s body. Mettaton, the guy from the MTT programs?”

Ladybug nodded.

“That’s her. She tied a ghost monster’s soul to a robot, mimicking a possession. Now…” She massaged her chin in thought. “How much more energy would we need to create a similar temporary tie to bind a human soul into an inanimate object? Tikki? Plagg?”

Chat’s eyes widened, he then frowned at the distant horizon. Probably talking to Plagg. Tikki manifested herself to Ladybug similarly.

‘ _I… I never heard of this theory… as far as I remember anything. But I know… I_ think _I know human souls can be stored up into special vials to conserve their energy more durably… and Plagg… he_ was _bonded into the ring… although this was permanent. I don’t think we should attempt any such action on a human soul if this is permanent, even to save it from being shattered.’_

_But if there’s a way to use a temporary binding object, will you help me achieve it, Tikki?_

‘… _I can try… but not alone.’_

Ladybug turned her attention back to Chat, who was frowning in a Plagg fashion. He grimaced.

“The kid thought I should tell you myself: this is a bad idea. If you bind that girl’s soul into an object, she may end up like me. Trapped as a mere consciousness and only able to live a parasite existence. Not to mention it would mean yet another one of us, which is the last thing we need right now.”

Ladybug winced at the thought of Chloé becoming another Plagg and shook her head, straightening.

“If the object holding you is destroyed, you won’t be here anymore, will you?”

Plagg said nothing. He studied her determined expression closely, then crossed Chat’s arms.

“The kid should not be responsible for this, if the situation arise.” He rolled his eyes. “I know he _would_ do it for you, I just refuse to share head-space with a soul tainted with murder.”

She nodded. Chat Noir did not need the responsibility of finishing off his friend. Something unpleasant stirred inside her at the idea of killing Chloé. Killing her _soul_. But she had to prepare herself.

She was human. Humans needed to be prepared to kill.

“Tikki… she said she would need help with this.”

“Yeah,” Plagg agreed. “Her creation-based magic balanced with my entropy ones makes for a more precise ability to shape reality. I’ll coach the kid on this. You will both need to spend a charge, though.”

His expression shifted and Chat took over again, frowning.

“We only have one charge left each.” He pointed at Ladybug’s last compact. “And once you spend your last one, you only have a few minutes of transformation left. We won’t be able to fight Mayarchy directly until we find some food.”

“Yeah.” Ladybug scratched her head. “The cafeteria isn’t far from the gym… your ‘Cat-Walk’ is still there, isn’t it?”

“So long as I haven’t replenished my charges, it will stay, yes.”

“So,” Ladybug started counting on her fingers. “First, we spend a charge each on making the bind, second, we go through your Cat-Walk black hole and head to the cafeteria. Third, we eat up, then change back.” She smirked slightly when she raised the last finger. “Fourth… we take on that Mayarchy queen bee and free the mayor’s daughter from its grasp.”

To her secret joy, Chat smiled softly as well.

“Sounds like a killer-bee plan, my lady.”

She walked up to him and tapped his shoulder lightly.

“Keep your head up, hero. Syrrup needs you.”

He straightened, tail swinging.

“Then, let’s be heroes together, bug.”

They came out of the room. The conscious students were surrounding Max’s phone. When he saw them, Max offered the object timidly.

“It-uh… It has all the schematics from the Mettaton’s implant, plus my own take on the technology,” he babbled, pulling the wrapping on his face up. “If, uh… if you need further explanations on the concept, I’m here.”

“And so am I,” Markov approved with a nod.

Chat showed the schematics to Ladybug.

“… It does say here we need an anchor for the base,” he whispered away from the other teens. “Some object in contact with the individual, or one that has an emotional resonance. Maybe linked to a strong event.”

Ladybug looked at Chloé’s body and reached closer. She took off the shining golden bracelet from her arm. Sabrina’s eyes widened, but she did not dare to protest as Ladybug walked back to Chat Noir, clutching the bracelet tightly.

Linked to a ‘strong event’. What is stronger than one’s demise?

“Alright, Kitty. Let’s get to work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, a big thanks to [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) and [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for their help on this work!
> 
> Next update on Friday.


	17. Long Live the Queen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudoing and commenting! Hope you enjoy this update!

The first part seemed to have gone well. Following Plagg and Tikki’s instructions, the two heroes had spent their last charge on creating the binding magic on Chloé’s bracelet. They had also gone through the Cat-Walk portal again before Tikki’s magic started to fade away.

The second part was compromised right as Chat Noir and Ladybug stepped out of the black hole and found themselves face to face with a sneering Mayarchy and three imposing yellow monsters.

Ladybug swallowed, the weight of the golden bracelet on her arm suddenly taking too much of her attention.

Chloé’s uppity voice rose through Mayarchy’s mouth.

“Urg. Finally! I knew my servants would have trapped you like underground vermin in that art room!” The Akuma flicked its hair spikes. “Thought you could get out of your burrow unnoticed?”

Chat growled and summoned his staff. It looked mistier than before, conveying he was low on energy. Ladybug made a try and summoning her yo-yo, and grimaced when she felt her energy deplete further.

“Believe it or not, queen bee, we came here looking for you!” Chat Noir quipped back, a challenging smirk on his face. “That last defeat had to _sting_ , huh? No worries, we’re good at _winging_ it when it comes to finish you off!”

The Akuma scowled darkly, its damaged insect wings buzzing with rage.

“I will have your _pelt_ for this, you stray!” She pointed at them. “Servants! Capture those pests!”

The two-headed troll, Kim, and Mr. Damoclès flexed their claws and launched at them. Ladybug ducked down with a yelp and found herself on the ground while Chat Noir had jumped to the ceiling and was batting the three with his staff. Ladybug narrowly avoided getting grabbed by the troll and kicked Kim’s legs under him, making him fall gracelessly on the troll.

Mr. Damoclès tried to reach Chat by flying, but the low ceiling gave his flapping wings a disadvantage Chat gladly exploited. He swung his staff, sending the owl flying into the bee Akuma, and landed in front of Ladybug in the same move. He hoisted her up, and she grabbed back as he ran past everyone, rushing into the courtyard.

“The cafeteria is over there!” Ladybug pointed to a door on the other side of the courtyard. She saw a shadow falling on them and her eyes widened. “Look out!”

Chat jump on the side as he ran, narrowly avoiding the talons of a screeching Mendeleiev. All around them as Chat carried her, she could see the possessed monsters run toward them. The large stone form of Ivan roared and started rushing to intercept.

Chat cursed.

“There’s too many…” He gave Ladybug a serious look. “You need the food more than I do! You’ll be forced to de-transform soon. I’ll distract them.”

Knowing this was the better solution, Ladybug touched his cheek softly.

“Throw me forward and I’ll be fast. Be careful, kitten!”

“Aren’t I always?” he retorted with a smirk before raising Ladybug up. “Ready, my lady?”

“Go!”

He threw her and she used the last of her magic to plunge through the cafeteria door with buzzing wings. She felt Tikki’s suit dissolve as she landed in the room, biting back her cries of pain when she tumbled on the ground rolling. Adrenaline was making her pain distant as she stood up and looked around. She tried to ignore the sound of the fight outside, running through the many clean tables, and into the kitchen area.

Her stomach growled as she looked around. Dizzy from the hunger, she searched through the various cupboards until she spotted a door in the back and checked it. A breath of relief came out of her lips when she saw the food supplies. Hurriedly rummaging through the packages, she uncovered the cafeteria’s spider pastries and grabbed at least three donuts. Then, spotting little packs of cheese, she grabbed some too. Chat had said Plagg was all about cheese, right?

She was barely out of the storage and had popped open one donut’s wrapping when she heard the door from the main cafeteria roof being thrown open. Breathlessly, she ducked under a cupboard and took the donut with her clenched teeth.

“ _Yoohoo!_ Ladybug?” Chloé’s voice called out. “Where are youuu? … Now, come out already, you little brat!”

Marinette bit a chunk of the donut, trying to swallow as fast as she could with a tightened throat, ears tuned for any sound coming from the other room. She flinched when she heard tables crashing on the ground, and the growl of the Akuma.

“I could do this all day, you know?” Mayarchy remarked out loud. “But… I’m getting bored. Hide and seek is not as entertaining as fighting you.”

She swallowed her first bite and silently asked how much more Tikki needed.

‘ _At least the full donut would be better. If not, we’ll still need a few minutes to rebuild our magic…’_

Not good. Marinette heard the handle on the door turn and did her best to hunch down further.

“Is it really the time for you to do this, anyway?” Mayarchy casually called out as its clawed feet hit the kitchen’s ground. “After all, your best friend the kitty is getting beat up by my court. I’d expect more chivalry from a so-called ‘hero’!”

Marinette shoved the donut further in her mouth, preventing herself from screaming. It was coming closer. She had to move soon. She eyed the storage door, still hanging open. If she could circle the cooking table unnoticed by the bee creature, she may be able to trick it into going into the storage and try to lock it inside, at least for a little while.

Slowly, she shifted her feet and pushed herself, trying as she could to stay out of the Akuma’s view. She timed each of her movements to Mayarchy’s walk, and froze whenever the Akuma stopped moving. It hummed.

“Now… what could a little bug like you try to get in there?” it softly wondered as it pushed the storage door open. “Are you that hungry?”

Marinette pulled herself into a crouch, peering at the creature as it looked inside the dark room. Almost there.

“Well… it’s pretty dark… but then again, your kind is used to treading in the shadows, isn’t it?”

The Akuma took a step inside, its back turned. Marinette slowly rose up, preparing herself.

“The shadows fit a backstabber.”

Another step. Its tail rose and its black opening fizzled with magic. The bee shot straight at Marinette’s vulnerable chest. Her eyes widened. She ducked to the side as the orange bee hit her shoulder. A surge of electric magic coursed through her; she cried out in pain and fell on the ground.

Twitching and paralyzed, she heard the Akuma cackle.

“But you know what? _I’m_ the better backstabber!” Its feet hit the ground closer and closer as it laughed. “How amusing that you thought you could hide without even covering your aura with magic! Who were you trying to fool, dummy? … Oh, but wait a moment… I see now!”

She felt the creature’s clawed hand grab her by the arm and hold her up. She was forced to drop her donut and the food she had collected as she met the gleeful gaze of the Akuma.

“Oh. My. Gosh! Are you for real?” It grasped its own cheek as the grin it was sporting threatened to split open its face. “ _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_ , the little baker girl, is Ladybug? Hah!” It put a hand on its hip. “Now, that’s hilarious! Did you know my little human soul is both secretly a huge fan of Ladybug all the while being disgusted by your pretentious goody-two-shoes attitude toward everyone? Oh, my gosh! Such conflicted emotions you’re giving me, little bug!”

Marinette tried to speak, or even struggle, but the shock of the magic was still preventing her from resisting. The Akuma seemed to find it amusing.

“Seriously, though, after Hawkmoth is done with you, I’ve _got_ to get that human soul of yours! It would go so well with my other one! Hmm… now, let’s see…” It massaged its chin as Marinette barely gained back control of her arm. “It doesn’t look like my mind-control took effect. I’m guessing your physical body protected you.” It put its free hand on the girl’s chest. “I suppose I’ll have to get you out and do it again, then!”

Marinette felt the pull of the creature’s magic go through her. Try as she might, she could not prevent her soul from being dragged out of her. She sent a silent cry for help, and heard Tikki’s desperate reply.

‘ _Marinette!… No! I’m so sorry! I can’t stop it! I need more energy! I need more_ time _!’_

Time they did not have.

Marinette’s vision split. Just like the last time a creature had pulled her soul out. Her eyes from her main body were still working, and witnessing as the glowing magenta heart was pulled out of her chest, illuminating the room softly.

The vision from the soul in the shape of a heart was working in tandem. From the soul, from the culmination of her being, she saw everything around it at the same time. She saw the Akuma. She saw her own terrified face. She saw her dangling feet, and her small handbag hitting her hips as she was struggling. It was dizzying.

Her arm was hurting from being held up. She witnessed her own jaw clenching at the same time she saw Mayarchy grinning. She also saw its tail taking aim at the heart.

“Now, be a good little girl, and bow down to your queen.”

This was it. This was her end. She clutched the strap of her bag.

_Her bag!_

“Goodbye, Ladybug.”

“YAARG!”

She threw the vial from her bag. It shattered on the Akuma’s front. It recoiled with a screech and the hold on her arm was released. She fell on the ground with a pained grunt, her soul still out and glowing.

Dust powder was now floating through the air.

Marinette took a large breath. Silently, she willed back her soul inside as her magic flooded back to her.

 _Is_ this _enough for a transformation?_ She asked Tikki neutrally.

‘… _It is.’_

“Tikki, spots on,” Marinette muttered, standing up as the red magic took hold of her again. She breathed the concentrated dust in as heavily as possible.

The Akuma stared at her, its three eyes wide with rage, and a hint of fear.

“You… you dust-eater _scum_!” it spat.

Ladybug called out her magic yo-yo and whipped it at the being, forcing it to step back to the storage room. The last thing she cared about at this moment was what the Akuma thought of her.

To think she would still need dust after all…

‘ _Chat needs our help!’_

Yeah, he did. Ladybug sent out insect bullets at Mayarchy to blind it and jump-kicked it into the storage room. She did not wait to hear it land before shutting the door and pushing down a large cupboard in front of it. Swiftly turning, she picked out the packs of cheese on the ground and flew out of the room with determination.

Chat Noir was held restrained on the ground when she spotted him. Silently glad that Mayarchy had not tried to mind-control him, she swung her yo-yo at the two large monsters holding her partner down and toppled them away. She swiped Chat up and flew them both high. Mendeleiev and Mr. Damoclès’s screeches could be heard from down the yard as they took flight after her.

Ladybug put her partner down on the school’s rooftop and tossed the cheese packages to him.

“Fill up as fast as you can, kitty, I need you to be ready for the final showdown.” She held her yo-yo up and looked at the two bird monsters approaching. “I’ll clean up the sky in the meantime.”

Her adrenaline was still pumping, but she was also feeling distant as she fought the birds off. Compared to her close-call with the Akuma, those two were easy to handle. She just had to catch one, and send it into the other. Making them both crash on the roof, she landed close.

She spun her yo-yo fast, willing a sharpened string, and brought the spinning wheel to the large feathers at the tip of one of the dizzy birds’ wings. The feathers were clipped off with ease. She pushed both birds off the roof once the deed was done. They flapped their wings furiously, unable to do more than float down safely toward the ground.

The glass windows from the cafeteria broke, and Ladybug drew out a sigh.

“Here it comes.”

The Akuma looked around furiously, before it looked up and its gaze met Ladybug’s. She saw its dark scowl as a green light went through its damaged wings, restoring them to their former glory. They started to vibrate, slowly elevating the Akuma.

“It’s like I thought,” Chat commented as he chomped down on a piece of cheese. “The queen probably didn’t want to use healing magic when facing us. Must deplete its reserves.”

“Looks like the tables have turned.” Ladybug glanced at her partner. “You done?”

Chat swallowed the last piece of cheese and materialized his staff.

“Ready to rumble.”

Ladybug nodded and clenched her yo-yo.

“Then, let’s end this.”

Mayarchy flew straight for Ladybug, its newly grown stinger sparkling with magic. It swung its tail at the human. Ladybug used her spinning yo-yo as a shield. The stinger bounced back, but the electric discharge pushed Ladybug away.

Chat Noir elongated his staff and swung it at the flying Akuma. Mayarchy caught the end of the weapon before it could reach its wings and levered a surprised Chat Noir with a roar, sending him flying down to the courtyard.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo and caught her partner before he hit the ground. Mayarchy charged her as her hands were full. Its tail wrapped itself on Ladybug’s leg and it sent her down onto the roof. Ladybug winced when her shoulders violently crashed on the dirt surface, aware that Tikki’s magic had softened the blow. She pulled her yo-yo up, bringing a dizzy Chat Noir back on the roof before Mayarchy could come down at her again.

Mayarchy slammed into the human girl just as Chat’s claws grasped the roof’s edge. With a magic electric pulse, it sent the hero through a tree deeply rooted in the school’s roof. Ladybug felt the bark crack under her mass and she covered a scream. She spun her yo-yo again, just in time to prevent the creature’s stinger from hitting her straight in the eye.

Mayarchy’s three eyes were full of fury as they locked their stances.

“I’m getting impatient with your little tricks, girl,” it growled. “Your struggles are futile! I am beyond the powers of humans, or even of some fusions! And certainly not of some ‘hero’ brats like you!”

“You’d _bee_ more convincing if you’d succeed at taking us down, wasp girl!” Chat’s stick hit the trunk in between Mayarchy and Ladybug, separating the two and directing their attention back to him. “As is, you look more like a fly waiting to be swatted!”

Ladybug rolled away from Mayarchy, but the enraged Akuma was now looking at Chat, standing sixty feet away, having just retracted his staff. Its stinger sparkled as it growled.

“Taking you down? I can see the merit in that! Starting with the weakest link!”

It flew at Chat Noir, wings buzzing, killing intent flaring. Ladybug saw it as she launched her yo-yo. The little black circle on the ground.

The wire caught Mayarchy by the feet, but her momentum dragged Ladybug with her toward Chat. With a yelp turning into a scream, Ladybug’s wings buzzed her up and she retracted her yo-yo’s wire, pulling herself straight over the charging Akuma.

The momentum carried her. She dropped down, feet first. The drawn circle was right under them when Mayarchy hit the ground with a screech. Blackness sprung forth around the bee creature. Ladybug jumped and rolled away right as the ball of blackness that was the Catacomb spell captured the Akuma.

As Ladybug stood up from the ground, Chat ran to her, and they bumped each other’s fists.

“Nicely timed, my lady,” he praised, grinning up to his fangs, in spite of his clear fatigue. Ladybug nodded and took a breath.

“Bringing it over to the right place was the harder part.”

Chat’s smile dropped and he clenched his staff, looking at the Catacomb prison.

“I certainly hope you’re right on this.”

She swallowed. They stepped toward their prey cautiously. Chat Noir used careful control over the darkness spell to make their foe’s head poke out. Mayarchy gasped like it was out of air, eyes wide. It saw its foes standing over it and tried to struggle.

“You… unhand me, you creeps! Abominations of nature!” it snarled, showing its fangs. “You have no right! You have no right to hold a queen! _Servants!_ ”

“So, where do you think the human soul is?” Chat asked, ignoring the creature’s screams as he flexed his claws. “I only have two shots at this.”

Ladybug hummed and put her hand on her chin.

“In humans, the soul can always be pulled from the chest, as it’s analogous to our physical heart-”

“A heart? Ha!” The creature sneered at her, its glare filled with hate. “I think we both know what fills the hearts of humans, girl! My human soul contains more darkness than any of my monster souls can ever achieve individually! And I now know you’re no better, Mar-”

Ladybug reflexively punched Mayarchy square in the mouth.

“But for Akumas, the biggest clue should be where their strongest magics come from, right?” Ladybug continued quickly, massaging her wrist as the creature gagged and whizzed. “That means it’s probably in the tail.”

Chat frowned, raising a hand.

“Then, let’s test this theory out.”

The darkness pulled out around the creature’s tail. Its stinger quivered when Chat grabbed it. A wave of intense fear took over the being. It started screeching.

“NOOO! You can’t do this to me! You can’t take it from me! Murderers! You’re no heroes! Assassins! Abomination scum!” Its eyes locked on Chat and venom filled its words. “You’ll kill her! Is that what you want?”

Chat flinched, but Ladybug shook her head and raised her arm, bringing the golden bracelet close to the soul.

“We’re not here to kill. We’re here to set her free.” She gave a grave look to her partner. “Do it, Chat Noir.”

“... Catastrophe.”

He brought the dark energy accumulated in his hand on the creature’s tail. The magic fizzled and burst open with a crack. The light orange soul trapped underneath glowed softly, little streams of lights still binding it to the suffering Akuma.

Ladybug’s eyes locked on the soul, one of her trembling hands reached for Chat’s, and led them both up close to the trapped soul. The bracelet was glittering under the light.

“It’s time to bring you home, Chloé,” Ladybug muttered softly, calling out to both her reserve and Chat Noir’s as she pronounced the triggering words. “Soul Bind.”

The bracelet’s spell activated, calling upon the uncovered soul. Chloé’s last presence of consciousness in this world flickered, as if trying to communicate, before it was dragged out of the Akuma’s bond and into the bracelet’s biggest jewel. The ruby glowed unnaturally for a brief moment before going dormant.

The Akuma’s form dissolved into moaning white goop. Unable to retain its form, it was now an Amalgamate once more. Ladybug breathed out a sigh, aware of the cat monster beside her doing the same.

“You, uh…” He swallowed. “You should probably perform ‘Aphidel’ before it gets back together again.”

Ladybug nodded, and raised one of her compacts. The cleanup went on without an issue. When the Miraculous Cure washed over the Amalgamate’s remains and restored the monsters to their previous forms, Ladybug was down to one charge left, same number of charges as Chat.

She spotted the dark pink-colored form of Mylène, Ivan’s girlfriend, standing up from the monster crowd and breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Wh-what…” Her three eyes blinked when she saw where she was standing, and who was around her. “Ch-Chat Noir and Ladybug! O-oh my god… does that mean…”

Chat Noir and Ladybug went through the crowd giving reassurances to everyone, still very aware of the bracelet on Ladybug’s arm and the limited time they might have left.

Once they were sure the monsters controlled by the Akuma had regained their senses, Chat turned to Ladybug with an expression conveying his urgency.

“Let’s go.”

He rushed off the roof and toward the art room through the windows. Ladybug started to follow, and stopped when she noticed a familiar glittering silver light coming from where the Akuma had been trapped. She pursed her lips when she realized what it was, but shook her head and followed her partner. There were more pressing matters now.

She landed after Chat Noir had calmed down the students ready for battle. Alix had woken up, and was still raising her fists with uncertainty as Chat was pacifying them. When they saw Ladybug, Alya, Nino, Markov, and Max’s faces brightened.

“Ladybug!” Alya exclaimed. “You two defeated the Akuma!”

Ladybug nodded at the kids and looked around. When she saw a wide-eyed Sabrina still clutching Chloé’s motionless form, she turned to the others.

“You’ve all been a great help in protecting Chloé, thank you.” She gestured to the door, which Chat Noir opened. “The danger has passed now, so I want you all out of here so that we can take care of Chloé’s spell.”

There was hesitation in their movements, but Chat Noir’s gesture toward the door was enough to make them slowly head out. Only a cautious Sabrina remained inside. Ladybug knew better than to force her out.

Alya noticed, but to her credit, she made no comment on this, instead, turning to Ladybug and Chat Noir, her tails raised.

“You two are incredible! I know this isn’t the time, but could I ask for an interview with you whenever you’re free? The people of Syrrup must know of their protectors!”

Ladybug heard Chat’s nervous cough. She smiled at the fox.

“I assure you, you’ll be the first person I’ll go to for an interview. Your blog is amazing.”

Alya’s eyes lit with pride. She did not stay when Ladybug shut the door behind her, thankfully. Chat was already walking back to Chloé and Sabrina, his aura of the neutral gray typical of someone covering their emotions.

“I suppose now is the time to test out this theory of yours, my lady.”

She nodded and swallowed, glancing at the bracelet, faintly feeling the consciousness inhabiting it.

“Her… her body should draw her in, right?” she asked, suddenly sounding uncertain. “I mean… it’s her body…”

Sabrina flopped down, watching as Chat dispelled the magic put on Chloé’s body, revealing her human traits under the bee’s illusion.

“It… it’s been less than an hour, right? Maybe forty minutes tops?” He bit his lips. “H-human bodies decay without support, don’t they?”

Ladybug winced. She closed in on the body.

“M-maybe we can perform a heal. I-I’m not exactly good on internal human biology, though.”

“I am,” Sabrina’s voice rose, startling the two heroes. She flinched under their stares afterwards. “Um. I-I do know human bodies…v-very well.”

Chat and Ladybug exchanged a glance at the new information, but quickly turned back to the matter at hand. Ladybug brought the bracelet and put it back on Chloé’s wrist. She grabbed Chat’s hand, and held her other hand to Sabrina.

“We’ll need your expertise to perform a great heal,” she instructed the slime girl. “I will pull Chloé’s soul out, then break the binding spell on the bracelet. I-if things are working correctly, Chloé’s soul should be drawn to its body once it feels it’s alive.”

The slime girl nodded slightly. This was crazy. She was crazy. She looked down at Chloé’s body. She was talking about reanimating the dead. Defying the natural order of things.

… And yet, had they not done this already when restoring the monsters back from being Amalgamates? Had they not broken some natural laws already with Tikki and Plagg’s existence? With their unnaturally strong magic? Their ‘super-magic’?

Maybe _this_ was ‘the world of tomorrow’.

And so, they went to work. Three kids filled with hope, with a half-baked idea of what they were aiming for, and a lot of determination. When Sabrina began the spell, Ladybug let her reach for her magic reserve, and felt Chat Noir do the same. She felt the frantic love and fear of the slime girl as her magic filled Chloé’s body and washed through it with a healing wave, picking out and molding what needed to be molded for life to begin anew.

Ladybug concentrated on the bracelet and reached for the soul within, pulling it out for all to see. When the magic inside Chloé’s body lifted her chest up and down with the rhythm of breathing, Ladybug severed the soul’s bond from the bracelet.

For a moment, the pale orange heart trembled. Then, to Ladybug’s relief, it latched onto the biggest accumulation of magic in the room, the human blonde’s body. Its little tendrils pulled it inside her chest slowly, under the gaze of the three teens filled with concentration.

Just as the soul disappeared inside the chest, Sabrina made a small cry and released her hold on the healing magic, slumping down into a trembling puddle. Ladybug slouched down in dizziness, aware of Chat Noir doing the same.

‘ _That magic cost our last charge,’_ Tikki warned softly. ‘ _But…’_

Ladybug focused her attention back to the body, disappointed to see its lack of movement.

Chat’s trembling hand moved to Chloé’s cheek and caressed it.

“Chloé…” he muttered softly. “Chloé… you-”

Chloé sat up with a gasp. Chat fell on the ground with a yowl. Ladybug sprung to her feet to help him up, hearing Sabrina’s squeal.

“CHLOÉ!” Ladybug looked up to see a dazzled Chloé being slugged over by an ecstatic slime girl. “Oh, Chloé, Chloé… you’re alive! You’re safe! I’m so glad! I’m so glad…”

Chloé was still holding her head, blinking dumbly at the crying Sabrina. Then, her features turned into a scowl and she pushed through the slime.

“Urg! Get off me! You’re making a mess of everything, as usual!” She looked down at herself and screeched. “My clothes!” She put a had on her head and her face morphed into horror. “MY HAIR!” She joined her hands together and wailed. “Oooh, this is a disaster!”

Ladybug was torn in between letting off a groan or a sigh of relief at the display. At least, she had no doubt that Chloé was back, for better or worse.

Chat gave out a sound in between a chuckle and a sigh before approaching closer.

“Glad to have you back among the living, Chloé.”

The blonde girl seemed to have finally noticed her audience when her glare fell on Chat and whittled down to dismay.

“Wha… Chat Noir?” Her eyes finally met Ladybug and her shoulders sagged. “…Ladybug?”

When her eyes bore into Ladybug’s, they seem to suddenly become distant. Remembering her close-call with Mayarchy, Ladybug felt a weight in her stomach.

“How-uh… how are you feeling, Chloé?” she asked in the softest tone she could manage, questions she dared not ask in front of Chat and Sabrina filling her mind. ‘How much do you remember’? ‘What did you see’? ‘Do you know who I am’?

Chloé was strangely quiet, but there were no particular sparks of recognition Ladybug could discern, from either her facial expression, or her aura.

After a few more seconds, Chloé blinked and broke eye-contact. She swayed and Chat and Sabrina each held her up.

“I… I feel… dizzy…” She looked down. “I-it’s like I was stuck in darkness… starving for days…” She scrunched her nose. “Just… _horrible_.”

Sabrina patted the girl’s back. Ladybug felt Tikki’s alarm rise up.

‘ _I won’t be able to hold this form for long.’_

Ladybug softly nodded and looked at Chloé.

“We have to go. Do you…” She glanced at Chat nervously, but continued. “Do you have enough dust on you to go home unnoticed?”

She did not dare turn to look back at Chat. Chloé patted herself and sighed in annoyance.

“Urg! No, I finished my stock before the last hour of school.”

Sabrina lunged forward.

“I’m here, Chloé! You can take my dust!”

She raised her hand and strengthened her teeth enough to tear through her slimy body. Both Ladybug and Chat Noir flinched at the sight of the glittering silver dust flowing through the wound.

Chloé looked merely exasperated as she grimaced.

“Urg. I hate being a slime!” She rolled her eyes dramatically and flicked her ponytail. “But I supposed this will do for now.”

Ladybug glanced away when the girl started sucking the dust, but saw that Chat’s eyes were glued on the scene. She elbowed his rib and forced a smile.

“If everything is taken care of, we should bug out, then.”

Sabrina gave her a tired smile.

“It’ll be okay! Slimes are good at going around without being seen.”

On cue, the slime’s orange color faded into transparency and Chloé swallowed the dust with a huff.

“I suppose this is preferable than being seen in this atrocious state!” She waved dismissively at the two heroes watching. “You can go, now. Ladybug and cat-boy. ‘Thank you for saving me, blahblah’, you know the drill.”

Chat Noir gave out an outraged noise at being called ‘cat-boy’, but followed Ladybug when she tugged at his arm. Once the two were out, she gave him a pointed look.

“Tikki may need to rest. Does tomorrow night sound good to you?”

Chat Noir gazed into her eyes and nodded.

“See you soon, my lady.”

They split up on cue, Ladybug dropping her hero form and hiding once again under the monster form of Marinette the ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next Chapter on Monday.


	18. Rise of Tomorrow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this update!

“And you just ran back in? Girl, you are seriously crazy!”

“I didn’t want to leave you all by yourself!” Marinette defended, her antennae vibrating.

Alya’s gaze on her softened. She massaged her friend’s carapace as they headed toward the school building, hopefully _not_ for another day of crazy.

“Well, I appreciate you caring so much about me, Marinette, but rule number one from now on...” She raised a claw. “Is that when a hero of the town rescues you from some place and go back on their own to save the day, you do _not_ follow them. You’re lucky Mayarchy and her possessed crew didn’t catch you!”

Marinette forced a smile and nodded meekly. The explanation of why the guards found her wandering in the school while she had told Alya as Ladybug that she had saved her civilian self and rescued her had taken some mental gymnastics. Thankfully, Alya was more focused on her encounter with Ladybug and Chat Noir, as well as what happened with Chloé.

“It was so weird! Like she had fallen down, but no movement at all? Or auras?” Alya raised her hands before her with a frown. “Ladybug said that was some spell the Akuma put her under, and she and Chat Noir stayed behind afterward to break it, but that was seriously creepy to look at. Sabrina was hogging Chloé all to herself, though, so there was no way for me to check too close.”

Marinette silently thanked Sabrina for keeping such close watch on Chloé’s body. To think that, with the help of the slime girl, they revived someone back from death itself…

‘ _I’m the first one left speechless by this. I never expected it to_ work…’

Marinette clutched her bag’s strap. That, she had realized yesterday. When she got home. After her parents showered her down with their love and worries. Tikki had been disturbingly silent all night.

‘ _Sorry, Marinette. It’s just… a lot to take in.’_

The bug monster nodded in agreement and looked up at the rooftop, almost expecting to spot Chat Noir again, although she would not be happy about it. There were so much they had to discuss tonight. Marinette’s joints were still sore after their fight with the Akuma.

“Fluffbun…” Alya muttered as they went through the school’s gate. “You know what’s worse in all this? At this point, I’m expecting another attack on the school soon.” Her ears flattened. “I love the work Ladybug and Chat Noir are doing, but this place just doesn’t feel safe anymore…”

Marinette gave her friend a compassionate look and took one of Alya’s hands. They were both giving each other smiles when Nino’s voice rose from the courtyard.

“And so you just hid in that locker? Dude, I thought one of the bees got you or something!”

Adrien’s soft and dreamy laugh arose from behind the turtle.

“Yeah, I guess I got lucky. Things were just so chaotic!” She approached enough to see his lush golden fur, and barely contained her glee when his _emerald orbs of glimmers_ gazed upon her. She almost fainted from sheer joy when he smiled and little sparkles of lights materialized over his head. “Hey, Marinette! Alya! It’s good to see you both safe and good!”

The sparks went flying toward Marinette as a greeting. She was too entranced by her vision, however, and forgot to counter the greeting bullet patterns with her own. They collided with her chest, sending her on the ground with flailing arms. Alya quickly picked her up.

“Marinette! Girl, are you alright?”

“ _Fluffbun_ , dudette!” Nino called as he rushed toward the two girls. “You took those square on! You’re not hurt, are you?”

Marinette shook her head. Greeting bullet patterns rarely hurt monsters, and her magic aura had done a good job of protecting her. Behind Nino, she saw Adrien with his paws on his muzzle and a horrified expression on his perfect features. She felt herself go faint.

“Oh, no, Marinette!” he exclaimed, looking so ashamed she was feeling it alongside him. “I’m so sorry I thought… well… I didn’t realize-”

Alya waved at Adrien in reassurance.

“Marinette’s always been spazzing out occasionally, but that only built up her resistance to anything.” She elbowed her bug friend. “Right, girl?”

“Oh-uh yes!” She exclaimed, feeling the buzzing of her wings intensify from embarrassment. “I’m mush around yo-I mean I’m _much_ tougher than all of you!” She flexed two of her arms with a nervous laugh. “Lifting bakeries at my parents’ flour made me a beast! Hahahah!”

Oh no! She was doing it again! How did she stop? ‘Tough’ was good, right? Was tough any good?

The only consolation she found in this was that Adrien’s confused look was replaced by the most adorable smile as he snickered softly.

“A beast, huh? I see. That’s good! I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

She was pretty sure he was mocking her a bit… but he looked happy? Happy was good. Happy was better than how he looked like the last time she saw him yesterday. He looked livelier today.

“Buut,” Alya spoke out, giving the cat monster a smirk as she crossed her arms. “If you _really_ want to make up for what you did, there’s a few options available.” She made a show of putting a hand on her muzzle. “Like… say… a movie outing with the three of us!”

…Oh, no.

“Alya!” Marinette almost strangled herself trying to mutter. Her friend was back to ‘wing monster’ mode, and that bode nothing good!

Adrien blinked innocently at her suggestion, while Nino put an arm around his shoulder.

“Hey, you know what? Sounds to me like a pretty sweet deal! We haven’t got the chance to do that yet!” He winked at Alya before grinning at Adrien. “What’d you say to that, bro? You in?”

Marinette was not even sure what she wanted the answer to be. On one hand, she really wanted him to go with her to the movie oh fluffbun yes! …On the other hand, she really should not…

‘ _Marinette…’_

…But she _really_ wanted to!

When a hopeful smile graced the golden cat monster’s lips, she felt herself dying and she did not know if she could pull her soul back inside this time but fluffbun if she were to die then she would die a happy woman-

“You know? That sounds like a great plan!” he said with a laugh, showing his precious little cat canines to the world. “I’ll have to ask for permission, of course, but-”

“Adrikins!”

In a flurry of yellow and black, Marinette’s good mood vanished. The bee monster tackled Adrien and rubbed against his cheek, her wings buzzing.

“Chloé!” He almost choked on her name, bringing paws up to her arms. “You’re-I mean, how are you doing?” His expression turned softer. “Nino told me you were… under the Akuma’s spell, yesterday.”

The bee’s wings stopped moving and she landed suddenly, opening her eyes wide. She pulled away and took a pose.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about me, Adrikins! My best friend Ladybug herself saved me!” She puffed her fluffy neck in pride. “Isn’t that great?”

Best friend?

… _Best friend_?

Welp. Marinette _had_ been slightly worried for the blonde girl, but if the first thing she did when back from the dead was telling _lies_ at her expense, she would not bother showing any concern.

Marinette crossed her arms and sent the bee a glare, imitated by her fox friend right after.

Chloé caught their gazes and put her four hands on her hips.

“…What?”

“‘Best friends’ you say?” Alya flicked her tails, a look of contempt on her face. “Fascinating. And I’m sure Ladybug herself will confirm it in the interview she promised me?”

Chloé scoffed, glaring at the fox.

“You? Interviewing _her_? Dream on, loser!” She tossed her antennae back. “A useless sack of dust like you simply cannot compare!”

Adrien flinched and his ears flopped down.

“Chloé… that’s-”

Alya was too riled up to let herself be insulted, however, and cut him off.

“For your information, she told me my blog was amazing yesterday, and that I’ll be the first to get an interview of her!” She snarled before huffing. “If you were such a good friend with her, you’d know that!”

“And if you were more than an uncouth plebeian, maybe I’d let you kiss my feet with those dog lips of yours!”

Alya straight up screamed and lunged at her. Marinette and Nino both took one of Alya’s arms each and pulled her away.

“Wowowoh! Let’s all calm down here, dudettes!” Nino called out. “We’re all civilized monsters having a civilized discussion here!”

The school bell rang softly in the courtyard. Sabrina made her way to Chloé and nudged at her arm.

“Look, Chloé! School is about to start soon!”

Chloé straight up ignored the slime girl and turned her ire onto Nino.

“Oh, like you understand the meaning of ‘civilized’, turtle boy? Why don’t you go back to your swamp where your parents live-oh wait, I forgot!” She put a hand on her cheek in fake concern. “You don’t have any parents, do you?”

This time, Nino’s bubbly arms glittered red and Alya materialized her flame bullets, baring her fangs.

“You disgusting insect _creep_!”

Adrien shoved himself in front of Nino and Alya in desperation, sending Chloé a hurt look.

“I can’t believe you would stoop that low, Chloé!”

For a moment, the bee seemed to falter. Then, she snorted and crossed her arms.

“I only defended myself, Adrikins! I only sting those who sting me first!”

“Is that what you tell yourself every time you take a flight?”

The words were out of her mouth before she could help it, and now, Marinette was silently kicking herself. Letting slip something this incriminating in front of so many monsters was among the worst reactions she could have in this situation, no matter how riling Chloé’s words had been.

Marinette glanced at the others worriedly, but all her friends met her gaze with quizzical looks. The only one among the monsters who seemed to have a clue was Sabrina, and she was clutching her mouth in shock.

Chloé, though. Marinette saw the look the bee was giving her and felt her insides freeze. She had expected a stinging retort about her own recent display of ‘dust overuse’ through flight and flashy bullet patterns. But the bee was not saying anything.

And the look she was sporting when she met Marinette’s gaze was one of a faraway attention. Like she was lost into an overwhelming memory when looking at Marinette.

Marinette did not dare to move, too scared of what Chloé could find. Sabrina tugged on Chloé’s arm once more after a while.

“Chloé, we… we’d better get to class, or we’ll be late…”

That seemed to snap the bee out of her state. She blinked, then scowled at each of the people around her, and shook her head.

“Urg. What. Ever. I have better uses of my time than talking to any of _you_!” She gave Adrien a puppy look. “You coming, Adrikins?”

Adrien blinked and frowned.

“We’re all in the same class, Chloé.”

He then took Nino by the shoulder, and they reluctantly followed. The last ones to move were Marinette and Alya, still clinging to each other, and exchanging bewildered looks, although for slightly different reasons.

-

Later that night, Ladybug jumped from rooftop to rooftop under the moonlight, preferring this to calling out her wings for once. She needed to breathe out. She needed to feel her muscles tense under the magic suit.

She caught Chat’s jumping form from the corner of her eyes, before she even felt his familiar and comforting aura. She did not slow down, and instead headed out to their usual meeting spot.

Things had been crazy those past few days. Somehow, crazier than she had even imagined it to be.

Miss Bustier had announced new safety rules when they arrived in class this morning. After what had happened at school yesterday, Ladybug could not see anything less happening.

But this was the issue, was it not? The attacks on the school.

“Another perfect night, my lady,” Chat called to her once they had both stopped their chase, his usual smirk back on his lips. “Of course, every night spent in your presence are perfect.”

“The school was targeted twice,” she voiced her worries without any preamble, “the first time could be a coincidence. But the second time may be Hawkmoth trying to narrow down his search.”

Chat’s smile dropped. There was an awkward silence between them. Then, Chat crossed his arms and waved his tail.

“I feel like there’s an implication I’m not supposed to voice out when you tell me his search for us would ‘narrow’ around the school, so for the sake of our self-imposed secrecy, I will not ask.”

Ladybug ignored the undertone of what he was wondering and countered with a question of her own.

“Do you often run around the school as Chat Noir during the day, or were the few times I spotted you the exceptions?”

“I… What?”

He faltered a bit, then his cheeks darkened and he looked down on the ground, a hand over his mouth, and his tail trailing behind him.

“…Oh.”

Ladybug let out a sigh. She ran her fingers through her bangs.

“Chat…”

“It was only a few times, I swear!” he assured, his hands raised in panic. “A-and I did my best to not be seen-”

“Can you at least assure me you’ve never gone into the school building as Chat outside of the time it was attacked?”

“I…”

Chat’s voice died out, and he stared at the ground. The wave of guilt flowing through his aura brought up some compassion to Ladybug and her shoulders sagged.

“That… well, this isn’t good. But it could be worse-”

“I _endangered_ them!” he cut her off, his hands on his mouth. “Oh, fluffbun, I endangered all those kids… I…”

She raised a hand towards him.

“We don’t know that for su-”

“We don’t? When you just said you spotted me during the day?” he snapped back, his green eyes wide. “God… it’s not just me… it’s _you_ as well… We’re so close to each other we could get caught so easily!”

“Chat…”

She touched his shoulder and he flinched at the contact. She pulled her hand away and he chuckled sadly.

“Oh, fluffbun… maybe Plagg was right… maybe you were too…” He shook his head. “I’m not cut out to be Chat Noir.”

Ladybug frowned.

“I never said that you-”

“I made a scene at the market!” he blabbed out, his eyes wide. “I was almost caught by the human guards and dusted! I found out the truth about my mom’s dust and I almost _fell_ during the night!”

Ladybug instantly grabbed him and pulled his swaying body to her chest, pouring down waves of affection through her aura. He was trembling under her touch, but he let himself be touched by her.

“Chat,” she started, before swallowing. “You… and I… we’re both young. Too young. Tikki knows it. Plagg knows it. We’re young and we make mistakes. I’m a human, so I’m used to a world you never knew, and were not even _supposed_ to know. You… you’ve been handling this with a fortitude monsters rarely have to show, and…” She breathed out and tightened her grip. “And I know you may not believe it when I say this, but I don’t think I would have been able to take things as well as you did in your place I think you’re amazing, kitty, and I’m so, _so_ glad that you’re here with me, without you, I…”

Without Chat… would she be able to do all this without Chat?

“I need my partner,” she voiced out loud, basking in the feeling that she believed was the truth. “I need my Chat Noir. And I don’t know what Plagg has been telling you, but I just can’t think of a better Chat Noir than you to be my partner.”

She heard him chuckle. She felt his love and affection for her pour into her aura, giving her a shivering sensation. When he looked up to her, she saw tears in his eyes.

“You’re so amazing, Ladybug,” he stated with utter conviction. “You go through the same trials as I do, you work tirelessly everyday to stay hidden and protect your family, in both civilian and hero form… and yet, you find the time to go beyond all that was done before and revive a girl I thought would be lost forever. How can you be _real_?”

At the mention of Chloé, Ladybug pulled out and bit her lips, gripping her arms.

“I… I guess it made sense at the time…” She shrugged. “If we… if we could resurrect the monsters absorbed, then, why not the humans as well?”

Chat looked at her for a moment before frowning.

“We _don’t_ resurrect the monsters, though,” he said, massaging one of his arms. “I… Plagg told me… The monsters who have fallen down before being absorbed by an amalgamate just turn to dust once the DT is removed.”

Ladybug’s mind flashed to the glitter of silver she spotted after the Akuma was defeated and her eyes widened.

“I… I thought I’d seen some after Mayarchy…” She squinted. “But… I don’t understand how come we haven’t heard of monster deaths during this attack…”

“Plagg said…” Chat scrunched his nose. “Plagg said it’s because those dead monsters constitutes the ‘base’ of the Amalgamates. He…” Chat shuddered. “He says those are fallen down monsters Hawkmoth experiments upon. He injects DT into them to turn them into Amalgamates. They’re fallen down, so that’s why the law isn’t looking for them, and that’s how Hawkmoth instructed them on what to do when they’re chasing after you and I.”

Ladybug closed her eyes to contain her breathing. It made sense. It made too much sense. And she was feeling sick.

This Hawkmoth… what a disgusting individual he was.

Tikki coiled around her soul in silent support. Ladybug pressed her lips together.

“And…” She took a breath. “And what can Plagg tell us about the Miraculous lab?”

She met Chat’s surprised stare.

“The… Miraculous lab?”

Ladybug nodded, her gaze hardening slightly.

“We found out while looking through B-through the old Ladybug’s belongings. We found burned papers referring to a Miraculous Laboratory.” She faced Chat Noir. “You told us the four of you took down Hawkmoth’s laboratory, didn’t you, Plagg? That’s why the Watch was lookign for Chat Noir and Ladybug.” She touched her earrings. “And if Tikki’s earrings are called Miraculous… then what link does Tikki and you have with Hawkmoth’s lab?”

Maybe it had sounded a little too accusatory. She was tired. She could feel Tikki’s attention.

Chat’s expression turned into a frown. He looked at the distance, his tail whipping the floor.

“Plagg,” he spoke neutrally. “You’d better fess up now.”

He closed his eyes after a few seconds and the annoyed scowl of Plagg rested upon Ladybug.

“I’ll ‘fess up’, as he said, but really, you’re barking at the wrong tree, Ladybug.” He crossed Chat’s arms. “The lab we took down a month back was named the ‘Papillon Lab’. You can look it up on recent news’ archives. I’m sure you’ll find it.”

Ladybug faltered.

“Th-then, the Miraculous-”

“As I’ve said before, has no link to Hawkmoth’s origins, as far as we could fathom.” He put Chat’s arms on his hips. “Though, yes, the Miraculous of Tikki _was_ created in a lab. One that had burned down years ago. There’s no trace of it left by now, so there’s no point in you looking for it.”

Ladybug blinked, putting a hand on her chest.

“So… you really know all about Tikki’s past, then… why…” She squinted at him. “Why aren’t you telling us everything? Maybe it would help Tikki remember how to remove the ring-”

“The ring wasn’t created in the lab,” he answered curtly. “This had nothing to do with it. It was something devised by both Tikki and the previous Ladybug. None of this has anything to do with Tikki’s ability to unbind the ring.”

“But how can you be so-”

“I just _do_!” His eyes widened and he grasped Chat’s head with a groan. “Look… the Miraculous lab isn’t what you should be focusing on.” He sent her a piercing glare. “Right now, as you’ve pointed out to my kid, Hawkmoth may have gained intel on your trail. It’s unlikely he knows who either of you are yet, or where you live, because he would have been more forward with his attacks, from my experience. But if he has realized you have a place he can target, like the school… then, yes, it’s very likely that he will focus on it.”

Ladybug swallowed nervously, displeased to have her fear confirmed. The human soul currently possessing Chat Noir continued.

“There are potential trails I know to follow once you are ready to face Hawkmoth, or if we are really desperate. But this is not today.” He gave Ladybug a serious look. “Right now, and as terrible as it may sound to you, the school being targeted is a risk we’ll have to live with. So long as you need the experience with fighting the Akumas.”

Ladybug reeled back.

“You… you can’t be serious!” She raised her arms. “You can’t seriously think that endangering kids for ‘experience’ is a good thing!”

“It’s not a ‘good thing’,” he replied, an eerie calm in his words. “‘Endangering kids’ for this, as you say, has never been a good thing.” He waved at her. “And yet, here you are.” He pointed to Chat’s chest. “And yet, here is my kid.”

Ladybug did not know what to reply to this. She could feel Plagg’s resignation at his words. She could feel Tikki’s desperate want to comfort Plagg. It did not make what he was saying any better.

“You’re a human, Ladybug. This is why I know you understand the need for secrecy, the need for cover-ups and tactical decisions. That’s why I know that you’re aware that, sometimes, the ‘right’ answer doesn’t exist.” He huffed. “Well, the right answer leading to victory, anyway.”

He gave her a firm glare.

“You proclaimed to Tikki that you would be Ladybug. My Chat Noir proclaimed to me he would take on the legacy. Both of those decisions come at a price. It’s not a price I like having someone so young take. It’s not a pretty price. It’s just the price to pay to accomplish what needs to be done: Hawkmoth’s defeat, and keeping the abilities of Tikki and myself away from those who would abuse them.”

In spite of her conflicting emotions, Ladybug found herself nodding meekly. Tikki sent waves of comfort into her soul.

It was the truth, though. She did accept taking on Brigitte’s mantle. She took on the duty. The responsibility.

It hurt, but it was the truth. Just like the Masquerade was a reality she had to deal with.

… But contrary to the Masquerade, this was a reality she _chose_ to live in. Somehow, this brought the hint of a smile on her lips.

“So, yes, we will fight more Akumas for the ‘experience’,” Plagg continued, nodding his head when he saw her agreement. “You will both learn to fight and take down any adversaries thrown at you. Then, you will take out Hawkmoth. _Only_ when you’re experienced enough.” Plagg frowned and bit Chat’s lips. “Now, let’s hope the resurrection power you displayed hasn’t made Hawkmoth more eager to take you away. His last Akuma already seemed much too focused on you.”

Ladybug’s gaze fell on her three compacts. She brushed one lightly.

“Do you really believe he would try _more_ to take me away if he finds out Chloé has been resurrected?”

“I’ve no doubt about that.” He gave her an intense look. “I don’t know what Hawkmoth is planning with Tikki’s power, but it’s clear from his Amalgamates that his research focuses on life and death. And you?” He crossed Chat’s arms. “You’ve just blown away everything that has been done in soul research. Not even the previous Ladybug succeeded in your level of creativity. You’re _invaluable_.”

A shiver went through her spine at his words. A part of her wondered if she should feel flattered at being thought of as beyond her aunt as a Ladybug on at least one aspect. But somehow, the knowledge was the opposite of comforting.

Plagg closed Chat’s eyes, and without much warning, Chat sagged and groaned.

Ladybug touched his shoulder as a support. Chat Noir met her eyes. They had the same emotions going through their auras. The same anxious realization that the world they lived in was too deep and too real for them to want to take another step in it.

Chat groped for Ladybug hand, and she grasped his hand back. After a few moments of silence, Chat finally spoke, his voice sounding hoarse.

“Shall… hmm… shall we go and finish the patrol… my lady?”

Ladybug nodded, understanding his need for normalcy after Plagg’s words. It was not much, and it was not an assurance that they would live through this… But at least, they had each other.

It was with this thought running through her head that Ladybug finally blurted out something that had kept her awake for a long time last night. Right as Chat was about to jump out.

“I…” She took a breath when he turned to her. “I ate dust.” She looked down at her feet. “When… when Mayarchy cornered me, I… I had to eat dust… to give Tikki her powers back.”

When Chat said nothing, she sighed and looked up to meet his curious gaze.

“It… it’s the first time I’ve had to. Since I became Ladybug.”

Her voice was trembling, pleading. She was unsure what good her confession would do. She just knew she could not keep it from her one true partner.

It was a surreal experience to see Chat’s soft smile after this.

“Well, if my dust were to be used to save the lives of so many monsters and humans alike, my lady, it would be a great honor.”

He lent her a hand.

She had no idea how to feel when she took it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) and [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) for helping me with this work! 
> 
> Next chapter the 1st of july.


	19. Delegate or Preside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this!

Marinette bit her lower lip nervously as she assessed her adversary. The last time she had seen such a stance, the attack had come to her right knee… but it was always hard for her to predict how those fights would go. Usually not favorably for her.

Clutching her staff, she launched an assault.

Sabine parried her thrust with her own weapon, and almost effortlessly diverted her daughter’s staff’s trajectory upward. She swung back at Marinette in the same movement. The girl dived and rolled back almost on instinct, wincing when her mother’s staff touched her shin, and a high pitched pain erupted from it.

“You’ve gotten much better at dodging, but there’s always room for improvement,” Sabine told her, relaxing her stance and smiling softly as Marinette was massaging her hurt limb. “We should stop for this morning. You’ll be late for school, dear.”

Marinette breathed out and nodded, grimacing when she saw Sabine lick some of her bottled dust, and lay a hand on her daughter’s hurt shin. Marinette would have rather healed herself, but she could not refuse her mother’s help.

“…Thank you for teaching me this, maman,” Marinette finally said, feeling the pain recess, “it… really helped a lot.”

Sabine took her time to answer, before taking both staffs, and giving Marinette a soft smile.

“Ah, well… I’m glad I can share this with you, sweetie. I always regretted not teaching you more about my village’s original culture.” The older woman’s gaze fell on the two staffs, and her lips thinned. “Hadn’t practiced in years… Brigitte… she would have wanted you to know about it too.”

Marinette’s gaze fell down as well, ignoring the heaviness in her soul. She had gotten better at it.

How would her mom take it if she knew the truth? About her daughter? About Brigitte? It was best not to dwell on this.

“I’m… glad I can learn with you,” Marinette said before looking at her hands and chuckling. “Even if I’m so bad at it.”

“Oh, but you’ve progressed amazingly fast,” her mother told her as she was putting the staffs in the storage. “In only one week, you’ve learned more than I did in a few months of training.” Maman chuckled. “Maybe it’s in your blood, after all.”

Marinette huffed. If her mom knew about her nightly fights, she would not be so surprised.

But Marinette was really grateful for her mother’s lessons.

“Any of you ladies want some treats after your workout?” 

The voice of Marinette’s father’s voice joyously called from behind the stairs’ door before a large bear head popped out of the opening. Still in his bear disguise, her papa entered the room with a plateau of baked goodness. Marinette knew those were the batches from the day before, but she still salivated as the sight.

“Tom!” Sabine exclaimed in mock outrage as she picked up a croissant. “What did we say about leaving the apprentice to handle the commissions alone downstairs?”

“Did we say we liked it?” The bear grinned mischievously, showing glinting fangs at the smiling Sabine. “It’s alright, honey, little Ral has been doing excellent work until now. And our Spider Parlor partners gave him the highest recommendation.” His smile suddenly turned into a frown, and his ears shifted nervously. “You don’t… think they’d hand us a bad assistant on purpose… do you?”

Sabine chuckled on her croissant’s bite and patted her husband’s chest reassuringly. Marinette took a macaron from the platter and started munching on it. Tikki’s presence had given her a renewed taste for sweets.

“Miss Muffet has her character, but she would never be this unprofessional,” Sabine assured Tom. “If Ral has her recommendation, it’s because he impressed her.”

“Ah, of course.” Tom turned his attention to his daughter, and smiled a bear smile. “I’m glad to see you so lively with your mother nowadays, Marinette, but I hope you haven’t forgotten about our game night this weekend.”

Marinette nearly faltered, but she successfully avoided choking on her bite as she swallowed with a smile.

“Mmm, y-yeah! Of course, Papa! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”

Tom laughed, then patted her back.

“For the world, maybe not. But for homework, or another of your fashion projects, it’s alright if you do. I’m always here for later.”

Marinette hunched down guiltily, munching on the rest of her macaron. The truth was, between her duty as Ladybug, Plagg’s training, and her homework, she already had to miss her video game night with her father last week. It was heartbreaking to know how disappointed he was, but she had to prioritize.

‘ _This week, you’ll get the time for it!’_

_I hope so, Tikki…_

“By the way, Marinette, sweetie?” Sabine looked down at her phone. “School is starting in about ten minutes.”

Marinette squeaked audibly before rushing to the stairs.

“Don’t forget your cover, honey!” her mother’s voice called back.

“And your schoolbag!” her father’s voice added, “and your breakfast!”

Marinette quickly scrambled back up, letting the illusion of her monster form take over in the process.

\--

“Marinette! Girl!” Alya stopped her conversation with Nino to clap for her friend, who had just stumbled into the classroom. “You made it! Right on time!” The fox laughed.

Still catching her breath, Marinette came in closer. Her antennae twitched when Alya just shoved Nino away to Adrien. The beautiful golden cat smiled nervously, and Marinette was beginning to feel the whir of a wing-buzz when Alya took one of her hands and led them both to their seats. Alya’s nose twitched as they sat up.

“Hmm… new perfume again? That’s a nice one.”

Marinette nodded as she took out her school tablet. Well, maybe she had started to rely on the fragrances Rose traded with her much more since she had started her morning training with her mother. She rarely had the time to shower again after her exercises.

“I’ve got a few free samples, I told you.”

“You did.” Alya’s ears twitched. “I’m just glad they let you in the building without a body search this time.”

Marinette’s mandibles clasped with annoyance, and she thoughtlessly gripped the straps of her handbag.

“I’m glad too… I think they just know me by now.”

That the mayor ordered for a new surveillance of the school after the attacks was not too surprising. That they kept searching the students was probably a little more so, since the Amalgamates were not known to be able to just disguise themselves as people to avoid detection. Marinette suspected the people on the job just needed something to do to keep themselves alert. 

Nevertheless, this had been worrying the first time some bulk of a monster went through her schoolbag and held up the bottle of perfume like it was some contraband. Nowadays, Marinette had learned that the best way to keep her perfumes hidden was to put them with her bottled dust in her handbag, which was never searched. Marinette suspected it was because those people were aware of the presence of human kids at school, and did not want to draw attention to them.

“Dog monsters don’t like strong smells like that. It can disturb their tracking work.”

Marinette shrugged and her antennae twitched.

“Well, I’m sure they can deal. I’m not the only one wearing perfume.”

“That’s true… and it’s not like anything happened recently.” Alya’s muzzle wrinkled as she stared ahead at the teacher’s empty desk. Marinette looked at her friend.

“…You probably shouldn’t sound that disappointed about that.”

“I’m not,” Alya replied with a growl, massaging her head. “It’s just that even though things have been so calm around school, my parents and my big sis keep making me come home early anyway… But it’s not like anything’s happening!” She raised her hands up dramatically. “So what’s wrong with a bit of good ol’ journalism snooping ‘round after school?”

Ah. _That_ was what this was about.

“Well, even with the school being more protected, I think Ladybug and Chat Noir would prefer you to stay safe.”

“I _am_ safe, excuse you,” Alya snapped back indignantly, her hackles rising, “I always stick to the crowd when things are happening. But most of their fighting happens at night! … Ladybug still owes me that interview, now that I think about it.”

Marinette winced, and started doodling on her tablet to occupy her hands.

“I, uh, I didn’t know your big sister was back from where she’s studying yet.”

“She’s not. She just keeps tabs on me and annoys me from my phone and computer.” Alya sighed dramatically. “Why do grown-ups have to be such a pain? Between this, and Adrien’s dad being an overprotective father-hen that doesn’t even let his son go to the movies with friends, my evening activities are reduced to updating the Ladyblog and theorising on the Hunting Spear’s newest episode!”

Marinette sighed, pushing away the disappointment she had felt when she learned that Adrien could not make do with the movie outing they wanted to organize.

“Well, at least, you can talk about the show with Nino in class. That’s what you were just doing, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, yes. That.” Alya’s ears straightened, and she waved her hand. “Well, enough about me! How’s your project going? Is that Jagged Stone-themed handbag done yet?”

Marinette tried to not let her smile falter too much, and she shrugged. Her newest sewing project she had decided to do for herself. Juleka’s commission would be next, but her favorite singer Jagged Stone was touring in their town soon, and she really wanted to finish this new handbag before that.

In between everything, her sewing project had been relayed to a much lower priority, however, like her gaming nights.

‘ _Maybe tonight, we could discuss with Plagg and Chat Noir about some free time during the week?’_

_Maybe…_

“Well…”

The class door swung open. Sabrina hurriedly stepped aside while holding it wide. Chloé flew through with an air of self-importance.

“Everyone, stop your measly tasks! You have an important job to do, finally!”

“Chloé, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I will need to set things up first,” Miss Bustier called out from behind her. “Why don’t you take your seat in the meanwhile?”

The bee deflated, gave the skeleton teacher an unimpressed ‘humf’, and flew above Adrien to take her seat, ruffling his head with a hand in the process, in spite of the cat monster hunching away. Sabrina’s slimy form descended into a puddle, and she glided to her seat next to Chloé, who had crossed her arms, and was now staring at the teacher writing on the board.

“Now, students,” Miss Bustier started after writing the date, “these past weeks have been… a hard experience for everyone…” The end of her skeletal smile lifted, and she clasped her hands together. “But today is a big day! We will finally be able to elect our new class president!”

“Which will be me, of course!” Chloé proclaimed, a hand on her chest and an air of inflated ego that was unusually strong even for her.

“Now, Chloé,” Miss Bustier gently called back, “it’s… true that for the past three years, you’ve been our dutiful class representative… but as with every year, other students are welcome to run against you for the post.” The skeleton turned back to the board and started writing. “Let’s put up your name, then. If other students are interested, all they have to do is raise their hands.”

Kim started raising a large furry paw, until Chloé threw him a warning glare, and he quickly lowered it. Max and Markov hunched to their tablets and did their best to avoid the bee’s vicious gaze. Marinette watched the spectacle with her antennae vibrating in annoyance.

When Miss Bustier turned back, she deflated, and looked around the class.

“No one? Really? Are you sure? It’s…well…Um…” The teacher looked down at her desk, and hurriedly took a large pile of papers. “Oh, you know what? I’ll take care of this really quick. Why don’t you all take some time to ponder this a bit until I’m back?”

The skeleton stepped out of the room, and the class dissolved into a sea of nervous whispers, all the while Chloé was eyeing each of them suspiciously.

Marinette looked away with a groan, only to face a puzzled Alya.

“So… what’s all that about, exactly?”

Marinette grimaced, her mandibles quivering.

“Chloé. What else?” she whispered back.

“Did she really get voted class rep for three years? I can’t see how anyone would want _her_!” Alya wondered lowly, tongue hanging out in disgust.

“It’s… um… I think it’s because everyone who tried to run against her had to drop out,” Mylène explained from behind the two friends, her pink hair tentacles shivering as she eyed the bee. “I, um… I know she blackmailed Ivan to stop him from running… and I’m just too scared to try myself.”

“She’s got a hold of Kim too,” Alix commented from the seat beside Mylène. “I know about what, but I’m not gonna betray him on that.”

Marinette’s four fists clenched in frustration.

“Urg… I don’t understand how she could be so… so _terrible_!”

While Marinette was somewhat grateful that Chloé had reverted back to her previous self and had seemingly forgotten all about Marinette’s true identity, it did not stop her from sometimes dreaming of a world where Chloé would finally be put in her place.

“That beeswax primadonna!” Alya seethed, her fangs uncovered. “Urg. If only I had more time to be a proper class rep, I’d run… but with the Ladyblog needing constant attention, I don’t think I can make it.”

“It’s just so frustrating!” Marinette said with a huff, doing her best to keep her voice low. “She can’t even let others compete against her fairly! She has to resort to cheap tactics to make them drop, because she knows she won’t be able to win in a proper election!”

“I don’t know what’s so good about being class rep, anyway. Sounds like too much work.” Alix looked down at Marinette with a raised scaly brow. “If you’re so bothered about this, why don’t _you_ run?”

“I-Wh-me? I-I…” Marinette could think of a few good reasons ‘why not’. One of them was waiting at her work table at home, the other, much more pressing one, was jumping on the town’s roofs with her at night as they were practicing spells and hunting down Amalgamates.

Alya did not know about that last part, however. She gave her friend an appraising look, and gave a _hmm_.

“You know, that might be a good idea.” She winked. “I know firsthand how good you are at organization, and schedule-making.”

Marinette’s wings buzzed in embarrassment, knowing what her friend was referring to. Tikki’s silent snickering did nothing to help.

“I-I can’t-I mean…” She looked down. “I don’t think I can… That would mean a lot of work…”

“Yeah, and I bet Chloé will just let Sabrina do her lot of work if she’s elected again,” Alya noted, eyeing the pair with a frown, before looking back at her friend. “But you know, if you run, I’d be cool with being your assistant. Just so you know.”

Before Marinette could reply, Miss Bustier entered the room, bringing with her a lot of printed papers with a sigh. After putting them on the table, she dusted her skeletal hands, and turned to the class.

“Well? Has everyone thought it through? Any of you wish to run?”

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room. Marinette started dribbling on her desk with her many fingers as she was thinking. She could not. She really could not. In between class rep duties, and Hawkmoth’s attacks, and everything else… there was no way she could keep everything together.. could she?

‘ _You_ are _very good at planning…’_

She _was_ really good at planning. She was already starting to mentally place the hours she would dedicate to her duty as a class president. If she tried, she could make it work… but on the other hand, this was a lot of work…

‘ _And on the other-other hand, you really want to.’_

On the other-other hand, she really wanted to, because Chloé was an unrepentant jerk who would never learn to treat others right if no one stopped her.

And so many good monsters in her class deserved better than a class jerk.

“No one?” Miss Bustier asked, disappointed. “W-well… then I guess by default-”

“I’ll run!”

Marinette practically yelled as she raised her hand, making multiple classmates around her flinch. She kept her smile wide and steady as she ignored the nervous buzz of her wings.

Thankfully, Miss Bustier recovered quickly, and clasped her hands together.

“You will? Oh, that’s wonderful, Marinette!” Miss Bustier turned to the board to write Marinette’s name beside Chloé’s. “Fantastic! That means we’ll do an election tomorrow! The two of you can prepare your campaign speech tonight, and the class can choose whoever they prefer!”

Marinette barely heard Chloé’s outraged scoff as Alya gently pushed down the hand she was still holding up. Marinette’s heart was beating fast, like she was in the middle of being chased by an Amalgamate, but she was also feeling very light-headed and relieved.

“Nice going, girl,” Alya complimented her in a whisper, a smile on her lips. “Let’s work on your speech tonight and demolish her striped butt.”

“This is ridiculous!” Chloé exclaimed out loud as the class was buzzing with excited mutters. “Utterly _ridiculous_ !” She stood up to raise two of hands and point them at Marinette. “You want _me_ to run against baker-girl?” Chloé’s antennae vibrated, and she put a hand on them. “Urg! And that smell! Can’t I at least have someone who knows how to pick her perfume? Whatever _this_ is, they do _not_ mix with your constant cookie smell!”

“Now, Chloé! What did we say about being nice to your classmates! Sit down!” Miss Bustier intervened, hands on her hips. Marinette was blushing under her disguise at the insult, but she kept her challenging glare on the bee, who responded in kind. “Enough of this!” their teacher said. “It’s now time for today’s lesson.” She walked to the printed paper files. “Now, everyone, remember when we talked about doing an assignment on genealogy? Well, now…”

\--

“Now, we have to do this huge research on our genealogy tree _in addition_ to the election?” Alya exclaimed as they went through the school’s entrance. “When you add Mendelieiv’s paper to do on the property of LOVE, it’s like the school is in competition with the Amalgamates to see who will dust us first!”

Marinette clenched her handbag nervously at the mention of the amalgamates and shrugged.

“Well, the election will only be for tomorrow… and we have more than two weeks to do the genealogy assignment.”

Alya groaned.

“I know, it’s just such a pain that every teacher drops their big assignments at the same time! Hopefully, Nora will help me on the genealogy one, because I know my parents will be too busy for that!”

Marinette nodded, swallowing. After Brigitte’s death, her parents had been overly open about their past, so she knew this part of the assignment would not be too difficult. It was rewriting everything to work as a proper monster genealogy that would demand her some work.

“Hey, look on the bright side, Alya,” Nino piped in from behind them, followed closely by Adrien, “At least you and your big sis will have other things to talk about other than your dangerous journalist career!”

“Nino,” Alya called back, before taking his cap by the tip and pulling it down his face, “you’re not helping, you dunce!”

Nino made some noises of protest in between his and Adrien’s laugh as he was pushing his cap back up. Marinette remembered Chloé’s dirty comment about the turtle monster’s family a week ago, and her shoulders sagged.

“Will-um… will you be okay with this assignment Nino? I mean, if you need help…”

“Huh?” Nino gave her a curious gaze before shaking his head and shoving his hands in his pockets. “Ah, nah, I’m good. My gramps Wayzz is into this kind of things a lot, actually, so I’ll probably have an edge over most of you there.”

“It’s cool that your grandpa helps you so much with homework,” Adrien added with a soft smile, his already gorgeous face glowing like sunshine itself. “I have Nathalie to tutor me, and I’m good at physics… but this assignment may be a little harder to do.” He laughed awkwardly and shrugged. “Father isn’t the type to talk about his life, so I guess I’ll have to snoop around my place for documents.”

“Dude,” Nino pushed back his glasses and gave his cat monster friend a worried look. “Your father won’t be mad at you just running around the place, right? I swear his beak-face is scaring me.”

Adrien laughed, even if his eyes darted nervously.

“Well, father is fine with me running in the house, so long as I’m not in his office. It’s just that Nathalie is at home too, and I don’t want her to follow me.” He shivered. “I always feel watched when she’s around. I know she’s father’s secretary, and that he prefers them discreet, but her aura is so hard to detect it can make you jump when she appears from behind.”

“Your manor is a horror movie set, dude.”

“It certainly tries to be,” Adrien agreed with a soft chuckle before eyeing the large black transport that had just stopped in front of the school. “Well, my ride’s here. I can ask my bodyguard to drop you off at home if you want?”

Nino had already agreed, but Alya must have noticed Marinette growing dangerously faint at the idea, and she took her bug friend by the carapace.

“We’d love to, but we have to work on the upcoming class rep speech tomorrow, so we’ll go at my house together… And there’s no way my favorite bug will be able to concentrate on her work if we take _this_ shortcut home,” Alya added in a mutter, before taking one of Marinette’s hands, and waving it. “Bye, boys!”

“Ah, right. Bye you two!” Adrien turned his emerald gaze on Marinette and winked. “And good luck for your election speech, Marinette. If it’s good, you’ll get my vote for sure!”

She’ll get his vote…

His vote…

‘… _Marinette, he’s been gone for a while now.’_

Marinette snapped back to reality, and pulled her hand out of the grasp of her snickering fox friend.

“That’s not funny! Oh, fluffbun… he must think I’m a spazz…”

“Nonsense, girl,” Alya reassured her, all the while patting her carapace. “He said you’ll get his vote if you work hard, didn’t he? Time to ready you brain gears in the name of _love_!”

“Hey! Stop mocking me!” Marinette whined in fake outrage as the two started walking. Alya put a hand on her mouth innocently.

“Me? Mocking you? Never!”

“You’re ridiculous,” Marinette continued in a shrill voice, crossing her two pairs of arms and making a mock pout, “utterly _ridiculous_!”

“Okay, now, you’re grossing me out,” Alya answered with a shiver. Marinette snickered at the result of her successful Chloé imitation, and let her eyes wander up.

Her mistake. They wandered on a familiar and massive white form jumping on a nearby roof.

Her heart jumped in her chest.

‘ _Oh, no…’_

“Anyway, we should start thinking about what to say now, just so I can imagine that queen bee’s face when… Marinette?” Alya trailed off when she saw Marinette look at her phone, and scroll past messages with thin lips.

“It’s… nothing too bad… but, well…” she hurriedly put her phone away before her friend had a good look at it. “My parents just messaged me. They _really_ need me back at the bakery now. Sorry.”

“Huh? Didn’t they agree to let you stay with me a bit to work on the election speech just a few minutes ago? Hey, wait!” Alya called out as Marinette was already walking away. “What about working on your speech?”

“I guess I’ll have to work on it myself tonight! I’m sorry Alya! Talk to you soon!”

Marinette was now running. As soon as she spotted a proper dark alley without people in it, she darted inside, and muttered Tikki’s spell.

–

“There were some sparks of magic earlier, I didn’t dream it.”

‘ _I know, Marinette.’_

Ladybug bit her lips, letting herself land on the luscious green roof of a tall building. She knew an Amalgamate had just been running around. She had no idea how it got away so quickly, but it had. Perhaps this was related to the colorful magic she could swear she had seen fly in the sky as she was chasing the beast. Amalgamates’ bullet patterns lacked coloration, so it could not have been from it.

Did someone chase Amalgamates too? Or did they let an Amalgamate run around to lure her out?

‘ _I… I know Watchers and the likes tried to capture the Amalgamates… but… I don’t_ think _they can be controlled that way.’_

Tikki’s lack of assurance in turn did nothing to quell Marinette’s worries, but she sighed and shook her head. She thought of calling Chat Noir, but with the Amalgamate gone again, there was not much they could do together.

Hopefully, no new Akuma had been born… because Ladybug did not know how successful an encounter it would be this time…

The streets appeared calm, though.

She finally decided upon heading home, aware that she could not go back to Alya without a good reason. Her parents would wonder why she was back so soon from her plans with Alya, but she could come up with an excuse… Why did she even run for being a class representative? She knew she just did not have the time for this now and what she was currently doing was very much an illustration of why that was such a bad idea oh fluffbun...

And so, Ladybug was flying home, still silently berating herself, in spite of Tikki’s reassurance, when she did a double-take.

… As _Marinette_ walked by below her.

She nearly crashed into a rabbit-shaped chimney. Landing on a rooftop, she stared down, mouth open agape, with no sound coming out. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe it was just another ladybug monster…

But…

She recognized her own spot-pattern perfectly. As well as the clothes she was wearing today. As far as her eyes could see, this monster was a perfect imitation of her form, and they were heading to her home as well.

She slapped a hand on her mouth his horror.

Oh, fluffbun… god, no. It was _them_. It was the Watch. Had to be! They had found out about her and Chat and were going to hunt them both down and their family and she would be dragged to the Burrow underground prison for questioning and Tikki would be-

‘ _Marinette!’_ Tikki’s sharp tone cut through her babbling. _‘Breathe. Breathe and think this through. Why would the Watch take the risk of sending an agent at your house disguised as you? They don’t need to do that. And you’re not a monster. They can’t imitate you well without dust. They can just come as they are to question you and your parents if they ever suspected who you were.’_

Ladybug took large breaths, letting Tikki’s words work their magic on her while her brain was still going overdrive.

_Maybe they think the risk is worth taking? What if they’re trying new magic to arrest us because they know Chat and I are as powerful as a fusion… And… and…._

‘… _Marinette, let’s think this through,’_ Tikki repeated, her voice soothing. _‘Apart from the Watch, do we know anyone who could disguise themselves as you? Someone who would have a motive to go to your house unnoticed?’_

Ladybug frowned at her friend’s words, her eyes still following the ladybug monster walking below. A cuckoo might need a new home… but a cuckoo wouldn’t target humans… _Chloé_ certainly had a reason to want to go to her room if she wanted to blackmail her as she did the others to make her drop off the election… but Chloé hated Marinette only so far. Ladybug could not see her dirty her hands and risking being caught by Marinette’s parents for something like that.

…And yet, there was someone else with the power to take on others’ forms who would do the job for Chloé if asked.

Ladybug slapped her front in retaliation.

“Oh… Sabrina… what is she making you _do_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on Friday.


	20. Follow or Lead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and your kudos! Hope you enjoy this update!

Nothing big happened when Marinette entered her parents’ bakery. Her demeanor was normal when she climbed the stairs to her room high up. It’s only when she was in the confinement of her room that she started to frantically look around, opening her blinders for getting more of the setting sun’s light in.

And that was when Ladybug knocked on Marinette’s window. There was a long moment of silence, upon which Marinette just stared, and Ladybug crossed her arms sternly. Then, slowly, ‘Marinette’ made her way to the balcony window, opened it, and gave the hero a nervous smile.

“L-Ladybug? I… Uh… Wh-why are you-”

“You know, ‘heroes of justice’ like me have a sense,” Ladybug mentioned casually, raising an eyebrow at the bug monster. “We can a knack for seeing through people’s disguises.”

The ladybug monster’s eyes bulged, and she hunched down.

“I… I don’t know what to say…”

“Maybe start with your real identity, because you don’t feel like this Françoise-Dupont’s student should feel.” She off-handedly started to conjure her yo-yo. “For all I know, you could be an Akuma trying to-”

“Wait! No! I’m not!” The bug waved her arms frantically, before melting in a poodle of orange goo. “Don’t hurt me! I-it’s just me… Sabrina… r-remember? Ch-Chloé’s friend?”

“Sabrina,” Ladybug repeated, not surprised, but her heart beating faster, “why are you in Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s room pretending to be her?”

“I… that is…” the slime mumbled uneasily, fumbling with her hands, but a little more composed than before. Ladybug watched the sad display, and her traits softened.

“…You know about a lot of things monsters don’t usually know, don’t you?” Ladybug stated, remembering Sabrina’s reaction to Marinette’s comment on Chloé’s dust waste a week prior. “In fact… you probably already know of this family’s… true history… don’t you?”

Sabrina’s face melted slightly from guilt.

“I-Chloé didn’t tell me!… But I could guess easily because… well… Chloé…”

Ladybug sighed heavily and massaged her head.

“Why are you here, Sabrina? Can’t you see how dangerous this is for you? What if Marinette’s parents catch you here? What if _Marinette_ arrives from school?”

“They won’t! I locked the trapdoor! I-I’m not that dumb!” She crossed her arms with enough force to make some slime drops fly around. “A-and I overheard Marinette and her friend say they’d work on their election speech tonight, so I know she won’t be back in a while.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re even here in the first place.” Ladybug walked into the room further, and put a hand on her hip. “What are you looking for? Did Chloé put you up to this?”

“Ye-NO! I mean… maybe she heavily implied she wouldn’t let me borrow this nice brooch if I didn’t…” Sabrina wriggled her hands together, before straightening out and looked in Ladybug’s eyes, trying to cover the fear in her aura. “But… no! I-it was my doing alone!”

Ladybug refrained from letting her pity show too much at the display. Sabrina’s relationship with Chloé had always struck her as weird in the most disturbing sense, but until that point, she had no reason to care for it.

“… What are you looking for here, Sabrina?”

“I… it’s… ooh…” The bravery the monster had just shown left her, and she flopped down again, her slimy head in between her palms. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this… I’m sorry… I-”

“Sabrina-”

“I was just looking for a bit of blackmail material against Dupain-Cheng, okay?” Sabrina spat out fast before moaning and hunching down further. “Oww… it’s just that Chloé _has_ to win the class rep’s election tomorrow. I don’t need much, I just need enough to make the dust-eater baker-girl drop from the competition! That’s all, I swear!”

Ladybug silently winced at the thought that Sabrina _would_ have went through her personal things without a hitch, had she not been on the lookout for that elusive Amalgamate at the time. Even now, Ladybug feared what the little slime had already learned enough to tarnish her school reputation. For one thing, her Adrien posters were spread all over her wall.

“You… you know blackmailing people is _wrong,_ don’t you?” Ladybug crouched down to get on the slime’s level. “If Chloé is a good class rep, she doesn’t need cheap tactics to win.”

“But that’s what Chloé’s dad does, she says, so why can’t she do it?”

Ladybug filed this… actually pretty expected revelation for later, and slowly touched the slime’s back.

“Okay… Listen… No matter what you were doing here, if you, a monster, willingly and knowingly enter a dust-eater house without warning, you’re being incredibly careless for your own life, and the lives of the people you love.” Ladybug frowned further as she talked. “And if Chloé was the one to send you here, she’s being a horrible friend.”

Sabrina hiccuped, and stared at the hero’s face.

“I… no! Ch-Chloé’s good to me! She saved me… that one time-”

“You saved her in turn,” Ladybug reminded her in a softer tone. “Has she done _anything_ to comfort you, and be there for you like you have been comforting her?”

Sabrina faltered again, looking on the ground, a hand on her chest.

“I… Sh-she’s letting me borrow her nice things when I do her homework for her. Sh-she’s good to me! Sh-she even let me play her games with her…”

Ladybug looked down at the pathetic slosh of a monster on the ground.

“…Does she play your games with you in turn?”

“I… no… because… mines are lame…” the slime girl mumbled, tracing slime circles on the wood floor. “we talked about this… i’m just… Chloé’s all i have… and i’m just happy to be useful for my friend.”

‘… _oh…’_

Now, Ladybug had to swallow back the lump in her throat before asking her next question.

“I just… do you have any friends _beside_ Chloé?”

“No,” Sabrina snapped back. “They all hate me at school. And Chloé is my one true friend who never lets me down! E-even when i’m such a mess…”

“Are you sure the others hate you for you, and not for what you and Chloé are _doing_ to them? Have you tried to apologize and make up to the others in your class when you hurt them? Like you do Chloé?”

“I… no?” Sabrina’s glassy eyes widened, and she shook her head. “B-but… no! That’s different! They wouldn’t forgive me! Chloé does! I… they don’t know…”

“What don’t they know?”

“I…” Sabrina’s lips trembled, then she looked down again. Seeing as the slime would not answer, Ladybug breathed out, and stood up walking to the window.

“Well… look… I don’t know everything, obviously. And I can’t be the one to change your mind about anything… but I am here to help. Humans, or monsters, it doesn’t matter. I am in a position where I can try to do something to change things, and makes it better for everyone.” She held up a hand at the slime. “Right now, all I can do is take you back home safely. But if you do need help, if you do feel your Hope deplete, I can listen, and I can try my best to give you what you need. Advice, or otherwise. Is that okay with you?”

Sabrina stared, eyes wide. It took her a moment to literally compose herself, and straighten up. Her slimy hand took Ladybug’s, and she let the hero hold her up.

“Chloé’s going to be so mad…” she muttered as Ladybug took them both out.

“Don’t see why she would. You’ve found your target’s secret crush.”

Sabrina snorted.

“Yeah, right. Nothing secret about _that_ ! Even those posters were nothing compared to Adrien’s real fans! Chloé’s got Adrien’s _portrait_ framed with pure gold in her bathroom!”

Ladybug did not know what was more disturbing: the fact that Sabrina had stated this with pride, or that for half-a second, she had been slightly envious.

–

The journey to Sabrina’s place was short, as well as surprising, when it turned out Sabrina and her dad lived in the Grand Syrrup Hotel, a place which belonged to Chloé’s father, the mayor, and which also doubled as the residence to the rich human girl. Ladybug had been aware that there were other permanent residents; she just had not realized that those were real monsters.

Still, she supposed it was linked to Sabrina being a monster so knowledgeable about humans in the first place. While she had not talked about that fact with anyone but Tikki, that a monster like this existed, and was in her class, had shaken her. Monsters weren’t meant for this kind of knowledge. Or this kind of world.

Sabrina plopped down on her room and made sure the door was shut without a beat, seemingly accustomed to the ritual.

“Um, sorry,” she said once she turned back to the heroine, wriggling her hands. “My, uh… my dad’s in the peace force… monster peace force, I mean… and I think they have orders to apprehend you for vigilantism?” She scrunched her shiny slime nose. “Or, maybe not now? It was confusing to hear.”

Ladybug smiled weakly, raising a hand.

“That’s okay. I shouldn’t stay here, then. Wouldn’t want to put you in danger.”

“Um…”

Ladybug waited a bit, but Sabrina had closed her mouth again, her eyes set on the ground of her small room. Not knowing what more to do, Ladybug bit her lips and turned back to the window. She put a hand on the window’s cold border, taking in the fresh air of the newly fallen night.

‘ _Marinette… are you…’_

This was wrong. This setup. But what more could she do for her? She did not even understand what was happening in between Sabrina and Chloé.

‘ _It’s normal to be worried for your classmate.’_

Maybe it was, but this was just one monster among many. As she put a second hand on the window’s edge, Ladybug recalled about the vanishing Amalgamate and frowned. This was a more pressing matter. An Amalgamate around. And a potential Akuma, too. She could fight, but she could not force Sabrina to be helped.

‘ _If anything, it’s more like_ she _’s the one who wants to help.’_

 _Yeah,_ Ladybug agreed. _She wants to help Chloé._

She wants to be useful. She wants to mean something…

… But of course, Ladybug knew how useful she was.

And when Ladybug realized this, she turned back to the slime girl, startling the monster.

“Uh…”

“Ah, sorry,” Ladybug apologized, her hands raised. “It’s just that… I kind of need your help with something, if you don’t mind?”

“… Huh?” Sabrina’s eyes widened. “Y-you want _my_ help?”

Ladybug nodded, licking her lips and massaging her neck.

“Well… thing is, your magic was invaluable to deal with Mayarchy,” she told the slime, looking up with a smile. “Without you… many things would have gone wrong.”

Sabrina faltered, although taking a darker hue in the process.

“O-oh. Yes. Chloé was in trouble… so I couldn’t let that happen. I _wouldn’t_.”

“If you’re interested, can I propose a deal to you?” Ladybug ventured, walking closer. “You have a great knowledge of human anatomy, and magic related to it, right? If you teach Chat Noir and I to use it ourselves, I can give you tips on how to become friends with people. How does that sound?”

Sabrina stilled, eyes wide.

“Fr-friends? A-and being a teacher to _you_? A-and Chat Noir? I, uh…”

Feeling her nervousness, Ladybug backed away.

“Ah, that’s okay if you don’t want to, but-”

“NO-I MEAN… yes!” The girl clenched her hands together, and made little jumps of excitement. “Oh, yes, yes! Of course! I would love to help you both! I mean…” Her nervous smile fell on the side, and she wriggled her hands. “I don’t really care for tips about being friends with people. I mean, I’m already friends with Chloé and-ah!” She looked up again, her slimy hands into fists. “Chloé just _loves_ you! She would be so thrilled I brought you here to see her!”

Ladybug visibly grimaced before she covered it with an uneasy smile.

“Uh… yeah… actually, I would like for our lesson to stay secret-for Chloé’s safety!” she added quickly when she saw Sabrina’s crestfallen look. “I mean… of course, I _could_ sometimes come up to… see Chloé… on occasions?” she conceded in between gritted teeth before breathing out, and taking a more serious look. “But, no. As far as those meetings where you teach us your anatomical knowledge, you cannot tell Chloé. The more you tell her, the more likely she is to fall prey to an Akuma again. We cannot let that happen.”

Ladybug was exaggerating the facts a bit, and she frankly did not care. Whether Chloé liked Ladybug or not changed nothing to the reality that Marinette could not stand Chloé’s nearby presence, and she did not trust herself to stay too long around the blond girl.

“Um… well…” The slime girl put a hand on her chin. “Chloé’s my best of friend… I don’t want to keep secrets from her…” She finally nodded. “But if it’s for her safety, I’ll do it.”

Ladybug breathed out with a smile.

“Thank you. Chat and I will be very grateful for your help.”

If it meant perfecting her ability to restore a human soul, this was definitely worth the trouble.

… To think she was readying herself to learn how to _resurrect_ a human being on a day to day basis… This was just surreal.

“I… don’t think there’s much to do about friendship with other monsters, though,” Sabrina added, biting her lips. “I… it’s always been Chloé only. The others wouldn’t get it.”

“… Because they don’t know about the dust-eaters?” Ladybug guessed softly, sitting on a chair closer to Sabrina. Sabrina plopped on the side of her bed.

“Well… there’s that…”

“… Do you think dust-eaters never become friends with monsters who don’t know?”

Sabrina looked up in surprise.

“Do… do you?”

Ladybug smiled, unable to fully contain the sadness in her aura.

“We kinda have to. Most of us don’t live in a grand hotel like Chloé.”

Sabrina gaped at Ladybug before snapping her mouth shut, her gaze falling down her laps.

“I… guess I’ve never thought of that. That Marinette girl… she’s a dust-eater, yet many in my class loves her.” Sabrina huffed. “If only they knew the truth. Then, they wouldn’t love her so much anymore.”

Ladybug pushed aside the hurt from that remark.

“But they can’t know. Not about her, and not about Chloé.”

“… No.”

“… But, you know, that doesn’t stop you from being nice and befriend the others in your class,” Ladybug continued, a palm raised. “After all, if a dust-eater can do that, why couldn’t you?”

“That’s true…” Sabrina looked away, and put her arms around her. “But… I don’t think I know how to do that? They don’t like me because I help Chloé… and they don’t like Chloé, even if she deserves so much more.”

Ladybug suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.

“Well, you won’t convince them that she does if all the two of you do is hurt them. Kind of the opposite, actually.”

“Yeah…” Sabrina shrugged. “But I think… Maybe I hurt them too much? I don’t know what I could do to make up for them, or even to make them change their mind about me and Chloé. They don’t _need_ me.”

Ladybug bit her lips. She was about to answer when one of her compacts vibrated, making the two of them flinch. The heroine took the compact and excused herself, walking toward the window and whispering.

“Hey, Chat. Sorry, I didn’t see the time.”

“Bugaboo, you’ll have me worried someday,” the black cat monster replied in a joking tone, “that’s already the second time you forgot.”

“Sorry, but this time, this concerns you too,” Ladybug muttered back. “Remember Sabrina? The young slime from the Françoise-Dupont school?”

“Chloé’s friend?” Chat Noir asked in surprise.

“Yes. I’ve organized something with her. She will teach us human anatomy magic to help us in case we… well… you know…”

“… Huh,” Chat finally said after a moment of silence. “That’s… not a bad idea, actually. We probably should have tried to contact her sooner… and Alya too, I guess, since we, well… you promised an interview with her for the Ladyblog.”

Ladybug slapped her front.

“Ow… that’s right! The interview! We’re always so busy, I keep forgetting…”

“You and me both.”

“… Actually… that’s perfect,” Ladybug said in realization, the spark of an idea lighting her mind. “Of course!”

“Uh… ‘of course’?”

“Tonight’s the night. Let’s do this interview.”

“Huh?”

‘ _Huh?’_ Tikki’s voice echoed Chat Noir’s puzzlement, but she ignored them both.

“Rendezvous at our usual spot. Contact Alya if you can. Through her blog, it should work. I’ll be with you soon.”

“Wha-”

She quickly cut short her conversation, and turned to give an apologetic look to Sabrina.

“Sorry, I can’t stay long.”

Sabrina, who had yet to move from her spot on her bed, blinked owlishly, and nodded.

“Oh, um… okay.”

“But I think I know how you can help your classmates, and how they can accept your help.”

“Huh?”

Ladybug walked back to Sabrina, and gave her a smile.

“Here’s an idea for you…”

–

Marinette had no idea how she woke up in time for Sabine’s training. Let alone arrived in time for school with a full stomach. She did know it had involved a good amount of running, and a lot of aching pain in the belly area.

Nevertheless, here she was. With a small amount of sleep deprivation, and no speech prepared for her electoral campaign. The opposite, actually.

But then, this was how it was to be.

“Oh… are you sure you wish to quit the race, Marinette?” Miss Bustier asked hesitantly. Marinette smiled apologetically and nodded.

“Yes.” She faced her classmates. “I’m really sorry, everyone, but it turns out my after-school activities are already eating too much of my time, so I won’t be able to work on class president duty in addition. I know I won’t be able to properly represent you this way.”

‘ _I suppose this is the better outcome,’_ Tikki added in her head. _‘You do need to pick your battles.’_

Marinette nodded curtly, all the while her classmates started whispering to each other. Chloé, who was standing next to Marinette, looked triumphant at the news. Sabrina, at her side, was looking down on the tablet she was holding nervously.

“Well, Miss Bustier,” Chloé said, her antenna vibrating with pleasure. “It looks like this dumb election won’t have to take place, after all!”

“I… Well, that is a disappointment.” The skeleton teacher looked down at the box she had specially prepared for holding the anonymous votes. “… But I can’t force anyone to run themselves… so, by default-”

“Um…”

Sabrina’s voice came from behind Chloé, and every gaze fell on the orange slime. The bee crossed her arms.

“Don’t interrupt our teacher, you idiot! We can talk about your role as my deputy later.”

“ _Chloé!_ ” Miss Bustier chided the bee monster, before looking softly at the slime. “Yes, Sabrina? Do you want to add something?”

Sabrina had flinched away when Chloé had snapped, but Miss Bustier’s words seemed to give her courage. She looked at Chloé apologetically, before sloshing forward.

“I… I was wondering if it was too late to… uh… to run as well?”

“ _Excuse-me_ ?” Chloé exclaimed before anyone else, her hands on her hips. “You _are_ running already, remember? You’re my deputy!”

“Sabrina,” Miss Bustier said softly, her head tilted in curiosity, “do you wish to run for the class president position itself?”

“This is ridiculous!” Chloé stated, shaking her head vehemently. “ _You_ are ridiculous! What would even be the point of you running? You’re _already_ going to do the same job with _me_!”

Hands gripping her tablet, Sabrina licked her lips and looked up at Chloé.

“I… I’d still would like… if I could try?”

Marinette looked as Chloé raised both pair of hands up, and made a conscious effort to contain her smile. The class was held in a captivated silence as their teacher put a hand on her chin and hummed.

“Well… we _could_ have a vote to see which one of you will be the class president, and the other one could be the deputy?”

Chloé stared, aghast.

“Me? An _deputy_ ? You’re joking, right?” She crossed her arms, and made a point to fly upward, raising her muzzle up. “I do _not_ assist! My only rightful place is in command!”

Alya snorted audibly, but Chloé ignored her to glare down at Sabrina.

“And who would assist _you_ anyway? You can’t present yourself as a candidate without a deputy yourself!”

“I would.”

All eyes turned to Marinette, and she did her best to still her buzzing wings as she held her hands together.

“I mean… if no one else is available, I would gladly assist you, Sabrina,” she told the wide-eyed slime with a smile. “I may not have enough time to be a full class rep, but if you need assisting, I can provide my help.”

Sabrina looked too shocked by the fact that Marinette was so friendly with her to reply. Chloé had resorted to glare murderously at Marinette’s ladybug illusion. Miss Bustier seemed to have taken the new development in stride.

“Well, then if we settle it this way, I can certainly allow Sabrina to run with Marinette as a deputy,” she amended, before looking at Chloé hesitantly. “Although… that means someone else may need to present themselves to be Chloé’s deputy.”

Chloé showed no reaction. Sabrina hunched down, and raised her hand for the teacher.

“Or… um… i-if you don’t mind… I could be both running on my own, and as Chloé’s deputy if she wi-”

“Save it, Sabrina,” Chloé cut her, finally landing back on the ground. “I think it’s clear where things are going.” She gave a swiping glare around the whole class. “You losers aren’t worth my time anyway. I quit the race.”

She stormed out of the door. Miss Bustier raised a hand in alarm.

“Chloé! Class is still going!”

The teacher ran towards the door, then stopped to give Sabrina and Marinette an awkward look.

“Um… Sabrina? Consider this a test of your ability as a class representative. Keep everyone calm as I look for your classmate.”

The slime squeaked, and nodded.

As soon as their skeleton teacher was gone, the class exploded with excited fanfare.

“Ooh, man, that was like an episode of MMT’s ‘Court and Order’!”

“Whoo yeah! Chloé’s out!” Alix exclaimed with a fist in the air. Behind her, Kim, the dog monster, laughed.

“Hehe, yeah, this was pretty funny!” His ears dropped. “But fluffbun, I hope she’s okay…”

“Who _cares_!” Alix retorted, eyes rolling. “Just be glad she can’t use her ‘president powers’ this year! Urg. She was such a pain!”

“My calculation says that she’d have potentially increased her aggravation-level by another fifteen percent by the end of the year if she became class representative again,” Max added helpfully, his bandaged fingers typing on his tablet.

“If I may say, I’m just relieved this went this way,” Markov added, their ghostly milky eyes on Max.

“Me too,” Mylène agreed, sharing a look with her boyfriend Ivan, “Chloé… doesn’t listen much to us at all.”

“Understatement of the year right here,” Alya remarked with a barking laugh.

“Everyone, please,” Marinette raised her voice, scooping closer to Sabrina to show she was supporting the already faltering monster. “Keep your voice down. Or don’t you want to stand behind your new class rep?”

This was enough for the class to go back to whispering, and for the students’ attention to turn once again to the slime girl. Nino, surprisingly, tipped his cap at her.

“And, hey, I can’t believe you just stood up to Chloé like that, dudette,” he told Sabrina, “but kudos to you!”

“Yeah, I’ll say!” Alya agreed, smiling in excitement as her finger tapped on her phone. “Believe it or not, Ladybug and Chat Noir had _just_ been giving me an interview yesterday evening for the Ladyblog, and Ladybug was telling me how helpful and brave you’ve been to them with dealing with Mayarchy a week ago, Sabrina.” The fox gave a thumbs up to the slime girl. “We all knew Max helped a lot already, but once the vid is posted, all the web will know how cool _you’ve_ been!”

Sabrina squeaked, and hunched on her tablet, a mix of embarrassment and hopefulness in her aura.

“I… I was?”

“Pssht. You’re incredible. You’re the only person in class who can even _stand_ Chloé,” Alix stated bluntly, rolling her eyes, before Mylène elbowed her, and she faltered. “I mean, not _just_ that, of course. Everyone knows you’ve been the one pulling the real workload of a class rep already. You and Marinette’re totally gonna do good for the role.”

“Hey, say, can you ask for students to be allowed to listen to music in the library?” Nino gave Sabrina a hopeful look. “It’s really helping me get in the mood for studying.”

“Oh, yeah! We can finally ask for new softballs for our free-time in PA class!” Kim added, his tail wagging. “Chloé never wanted to deal with this sort of stuff!”

As new demands piled in, Sabrina seemed to grow smaller at the attention. Noticing this, Marinette raised her hands up.

“How about everyone take notes of what’s needed on a piece of paper first?” she suggested, giving an encouraging smile at Sabrina. “This way, we can both figure out how to make things work when we have the time.”

This seemed to snap Sabrina out of her shock. She blinked once and vehemently nodded.

“Oh, uh… yes! Yes, yes, that should help… um…” She looked at Nino, fingers tapping on her tablet. “Although, um… we might not be able to answer all requests? The school library is… well… there’s a heavy rule against making noises.”

“Perhaps we could negotiate so that students can listen to music with their headphones on, and on a very low sound-level?” Marinette suggested.

“Ah… um… th-that sounds like this would be possible, yes,” Sabrina agreed with another nod, before straightening, and moving forward. “Yes. Everyone, we’ll pass around a piece of paper. Write on it all the things you want to be done!”

The class diligently followed the slime’s lead. The demand sheet had gone halfway through the class when Miss Butsier came back, looking exhausted. She brightened up when Sabrina explained what they were doing.

“Well… I would have liked for the opportunity to have a proper election done,” the teacher admitted in disappointment before clasping her hands together. “But I am very proud of what you two did right there. I am glad you are already taking your job so seriously! Thank you for your effort, Sabrina, Marinette.”

Marinette’s wings were slightly vibrating, but she was holding herself much better than her poor class rep did. Still, Sabrina’s aura seemed to have spread out further within the span of becoming the new class president.

“I-I won’t let you down, everyone!” she promised, nodding her head resolutely at her classmates. “I’ll try my best to be a great president to you!”

There were some genuine cheers before recess was announced. Sabrina and Marinette were both collecting the students’ ask when Mylène approached them, followed closely by Alix and Nathaniel.

“Um, hey Sabrina,” the dark pink monster called, her three eyes set on the slime. “I, uh, I don’t know if you know already, but Alix’s father is going to preside over the opening of a new gallery at the museum, and he invited the people in our class to come. If you want, you can come with us.”

Sabrina blinked, then flushed.

“I, um… really?”

Alix put her hands on her hips, whipped the air with her long tail, and shrugged.

“Yeah, but it’s only if you care about that stuff. It can get pretty boring if you’re not into it.”

“I… I mean, thank you?” Sabrina said in a hesitant tone, a hand up to her mouth. “Oh, but I should tell Chloé about it too-”

“Oh, hell no.”

“Alix,” Mylène softly chided. The lizard monster shook her head and crossed her arms.

“Look, I’m cool with you, Sabrina, since you’re willing to be an actual class rep and all, and what you just did was pretty awesome, but if you come back grovelling at the queen bee’s feet, this is not going to work out!”

“Alix, be nice,” Mylène tried again, eyes darting to everyone around her. “This… I mean, this was hard already for her… I think.”

Nathaniel, who had been silent until then, clenched his bag’s strap, and glared at Sabrina.

“Harder than helping Chloé bully us, I bet.”

Sabrina flinched and hunched down in shame.

“I… Sorry…”

Marinette looked at this exchange uneasily, and was ready to intervene, when Nathaniel’s shoulders sagged, and he looked down as well.

“I… okay. So long as you just stop.”

“I-I will…”

“…This is not a trick, is it?”

“I-it’s not,” Sabrina assured under the suspicious gaze of the skeleton boy. “I’m… I’m sorry about everything I did… I really am. I just… Can I just make it up to you?”

Nathaniel was still hesitant. Still, Marinette put a gentle hand on the slime’s shoulder.

“Well, I’m sure you can start by honoring your promise, and be a great class president.”

Sabrina flinched slightly at the contact, but she nodded. Maybe seeing the ease in how Marinette gave the slime a chance, Nathaniel relaxed.

“Well… alright then. We can try with that.”

He hesitantly help up his hand. Sabrina looked back, and hesitantly took it.

“Ah… th-thank you for giving me a chance. I… I swear I won’t do all those bad things anymore… e-even if Chloé asks me to.”

Marinette silently breathed out. Mylène gave the slime an encouraging smile.

“Well, I’m glad you’re okay with talking with us now. You’ve always been just following Chloé around. It was… a bit unsettling.”

Sabrina shrugged.

“Ah, um… yeah. Ladybug said befriending with you without Chloé around would help.”

Mylène blinked.

“Huh? Ladybug?”

Sabrina’s eyes widened, and she put her hands on her mouth.

“Oh, but now that class is over, I really should check on Chloé! Miss Bustier said she went home. I’m just so worried about her!” She turned to Marinette, who was now holding the papers. “You-um… maybe mail-me that tonight? I’ll work on them, then.”

Marinette barely had time to nod before Sabrina took all her school supplies in her bag, and sloshed over to the door, only pausing for one moment, and gave Marinette one last look in between guilt and earnestness.

“And, um… thank you, Marinette. You’re… not so bad.”

Marinette and the three students surrounding her watched her go, and Alix shook her head.

“Aaand there we go. Back to square one.”

Marinette gave the lizard a pointed look.

“It’s going to take time. Chloé’s been practically all her life, after all.”

“… Ah, whatever.” Alix rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms. “I don’t have to deal with her, anyway.” She looked at Marinette. “And she’s paired with you as class rep instead of Chloé, which is a major improvement.”

Nathaniel shrugged.

“If she really stops bullying, I don’t mind either way.”

“Well, I will try and give her a chance,” Mylène said softly as Marinette was putting the paper in her schoolbag. “Right now, it seems like she’s really trying. And… I don’t think she’s that bad, actually… I mean, I’m sure even Chloé has a decent side… deep down.”

Alix audibly snorted. Marinette thought back to how Chloé jumped to save Sabrina from the Amalgamate that day, and shrugged as she finished stuffing her bag. Chloé _could_ do good, if she actually tried. Whether she would ever get any incentive to change her way and be actively good, this remained to be seen. The three friends left, and Marinette joined back out of the class with Alya, who was with Nino and Adrien.

“Girl, this was wild!” Alya exclaimed, after a quick hug. “I have to say, good luck with working with Sabrina, but the way you just supported her like that? Pretty neat!”

Nino was nodding approvingly, but Adrien’s gorgeous face showed he was preoccupied. He had been among the few who had been relatively silent throughout the whole thing.

“I do hope Chloé is not taking it too badly,” he commented, looking away. “I mean… she isn’t really the nicest monster… but that was still pretty harsh how everyone was talking about her.”

“Bro, seriously, we talked about this,” the turtle monster said after lightly tapping on the back of his friend’s neck, “literally no one told her anything mean, she just left after calling us ‘losers’. And she _has_ been a pain, bro. You weren’t there for the past three years, but Marinette and I have, and I can tell you, this was hell. Of course people are mad at her.”

“I… yeah, okay,” Adrien finally agreed, breathing out. “I just hope she really becomes a better person. She didn’t used to be this bad.”

Marinette gave the cat monster a compassionate look, and felt her blood freeze when he turned his attention to her and smiled.

“But Marinette, that was very nice of you to support Sabrina like that,” he told her, his melodious voice making her whole body buzz. “I’m sure you’ll me a great class rep assistant.”

His soft and delicate paw-like hand patted her on the shoulder before he and Nino turned away and moved out, unaware of the mess he was leaving her in. Alya caught her before her legs gave out, and breathed out an amused snort in between her grunts.

Marinette was still feeling the presence of the paw well into the evening, when she was finally having a night to herself to work on her Jagged Stone handbag, and giggling about it.

Some things did take baby-steps. And that was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) For helping me with this!
> 
> Next update on Monday.


	21. Operation Secret Garden Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and your kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

“All good with you, my lady? You seem tense.”

Ladybug sighed and landed beside her partner. They stood on the side of the Syrrup tree, glowing in the night from the flow of its magic veins. When Chat Noir came closer, she crossed her arms and shrugged.

“I suppose things have been a bit exhausting for me this last week.” She thought back to her new workload as a class rep deputy, and scrunched up her nose. “Nothing compared with what we’re doing now, though.” She turned to him, her fingers twitching. “Are you… ready to try again tonight?”

Chat seemed to observe her for a few seconds before he nodded. He was giving her his usual cocky half-smirk, and although it could annoy her when he did it in the middle of a fight. Tonight, it was a reassuring sight. He presented her his hand whereupon Plagg’s black ring was shining under the dim lights around them.

“I would never pass off an opportunity to offer you a hand, you know that, bugaboo.”

She rolled her eyes at the nickname and the wink which accompanied it. Her finger set on the ring and she closed her eyes, concentrating on Tikki’s magic.

‘ _It almost seemed like we had something last time we tried the variant of the soul binding spell we used on Chloé. I was thinking we could perhaps try it again. You have a better grasp of your creation magic now.’_

Marinette bit her lips, refraining herself from voicing that it had been almost two weeks since that very spell was used, and the best they had succeeded was heating up the ring to an uncomfortable level. She let the combined magic of Tikki and her own soul work under her palm, folding around the ring and its enchantment.

It was a careful process. As Tikki had said before, the ring may be strong, but it was far from indestructible. And neither were the binding spells placed on it. Were Tikki and Ladybug to make a mistake, they could destroy it all without meaning to, which could result in a lot of bad things. Plagg’s soul could permanently fuse with Chat Noir’s again, or his soul could just shatter from the shock of the release due to being so worn out by uses… or he and Chat Noir could just die from the shock of a severing.

At the impression of a cracking noise, Ladybug winced and retracted her hand, shaking her head.

“I can’t… that’s as far as I can go now…” She looked down, quelling her magic. “Sorry.”

She felt Chat’s frustration before she raised her head to see him frown with assurance. He took her hand.

“You know I think you’re amazing, right?” he asked, making sure to bore into her eyes. “You’re trying to rediscover what Plagg said took years for the previous Ladybug and Tikki to create, and you’ve already grasped the base in a month worth of having the earrings. You _will_ find the key eventually.”

Ladybug looked down on her held hand and pulled it back.

“Oh, I don’t doubt that. Eventually, I’m bond to, with Tikki’s help.” She massaged her hand. “It’s just that… well… I’m not sure _when_ I’ll be able to lift your curse. It could take months… years…” She snorted dryly. “And I bet you’re already sick of being stuck like that. Even worse… since you have to hide it from your family at home.”

He seemed to ponder it a moment, then put his hand on his chin.

“Well… yeah. I’m not gonna say that I was thrilled with the idea of being stuck in this form for what could be a long while.” He gave a side-long gaze away and rolled his eyes. “… Or that I was happy with sharing head-space with a dead stinky-cheese lover… but…” He shrugged, his hand on his hips, and his tail swinging. “It’s not so bad, in the end. Plagg’s alright. This form isn’t that bad. Hiding myself from my family isn’t as much effort as I would have thought… and…”

He paused for a moment, looking up at the starry sky. Ladybug followed his gaze just as he extended a clawed hand up. A soft smile appeared on his lips.

“… And I suppose there is a lot to love about this double life,” he finally said softly. “In… as who I am in everyday life, I don’t get much time to just be myself, you know? I have to be an ‘image’, if that make sense. I have expectations put on me. Before I met Plagg, I sometime wished I could be free from them and express myself as I want. And as Chat Noir? I got to do that.” He snorted. “Not exactly _how_ I expected to have such a wish fulfilled. But… I wouldn’t trade this from anything.”

Ladybug stared after the unexpected confession of her partner. Seeing him like this, his blond hair swaying in the wind, his black cat ears straight and proud, and his profile highlighted by the lights of Syrrup, it sent a shiver to her spine. Her face felt warm when she looked down bellow, lightly kicking the large trunk under her feet.

“I guess I can see enjoying some aspects of what we’re doing.” She licked her lips. “I’m just not sure that those would be enough to counter all the bad that goes with it.”

The fights. The secrecy. The awful revelations. The awful _decisions._ She knew that the price was not worth it to her. Not yet, at least.

His fingers brushed her arm, and she met his eyes, glinting with compassion, love and hope, in the way only monsters’ eyes could.

“My lady,” he said with a smile. “If there is one thing that makes it all worth it to me, it’s the chance that I had to be by your side.”

Her heart fluttered, if only for a moment, and then, she chuckled. He could be a bit of a goof, but he was beyond adorable.

“I’m glad I’ve got to know you too, Chat. You’re the best partner I could have hoped for in this.”

He gave her a wide toothy grin and he swung his tail excitedly. She snickered and looked up at the moon.

“Well, it’s getting late. We should probably head home.”

“Ah! Wait!”

She stopped herself from calling her wings, looking at Chat as he was massaging his neck.

“There’s… actually a place I wanted to show you. Not far from here. It’s… w-well…” His eyes shifted around for a bit before a much too large smile lit his face. “It won’t take long I swear… That is if you want to.”

Ladybug blinked at his sudden nervousness, then smiled. She supposed she could afford a few more minutes. And she did not mind having a reason to not having to think about her day.

“Lead the way, then, kitty.”

Chat Noir nodded before jumping off the giant tree, turning back to check if she was following. When the two of them were in a comfortable rhythm of flight and jump, he spoke again.

“So… I told you what I like about our situation. What about you?” He landed on a bell-like structure and watched her fly past him curiously. “What do you like about this life?”

Ladybug hummed in thought. This actually was hard to think about.

“I… don’t exactly find that many things I like about this,” she admitted before cringing. “Don’t get me wrong! I enjoy your company. And flying’s great! It’s just…” She stilled her movements, her buzzing wings making her hover. “I don’t think I find being Ladybug in itself that ‘freeing’.” She looked down at her gloved hand, feeling Tikki’s attention. “Ladybug isn’t me. She’s a mantle. A symbol I took over because…” She thought about it and sighed, clenching her fist. “Because no one else but me could do it at the time, I suppose.”

Her eyes drifted to her floating ribbons. Ribbons that once were worn by Brigitte.

“I guess… I owe it to the previous Ladybug. I have to take down Hawkmoth. I should do this to protect my family. To protect Tikki. To protect _you_ , too,” she blurted out, her eyes crossing with those of the cat monster patiently waiting for her to finish. She looked away. “And to protect the people of Syrrup as well, I suppose.”

A small silence followed the declaration. She wondered for a moment if she should have made it this awkward, but Chat Noir’s gentle laugh brought her attention back to him.

“As expected of my lady,” he said, a coy look on his face, “Purrioritizing everyone’s happiness above her own!”

He jumped away with a chuckle, forcing her to fly after him with a groan.

“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes before they fixated on his form running on all four on a roof. “I-I mean, I like some things, though! I like having met Tikki and… Hey, uh, is this it?”

Chat Noir had stopped his run and skidded to a stop, his green eyes glowing in the darkness.

“Not quite, ladybug.” He stood up and raised a hand to her. “I would just like doing you the honor of taking you there by my own means. If you please?”

She raised an eyebrow, but flew down to him anyway, crossing her arms.

“Any reasons why?”

“Let the cat have some secrets,” he joked before his eyebrows rose pleadingly under the dark fur around his eyes. “Pretty please?”

She sighed, shaking her head.

“You look like a lost puppy doing this.”

“Dogs are cute. I’m fine with that.”

“You’re a cat, though,” she grumbled before deciding to humor him. When she took his hand, he brought her close and lifted her to his chest. She flinched and gave him a weird look. He smiled apologetically.

“Uh… maybe close your eyes too? I’ll tell you when to open them again.”

She huffed at his theatrics, but complied, lodging her head in between his neck and shoulder. She could feel the magic of Plagg and Chat’s fused souls beat in his chest in a strong rhythm.

When Chat Noir jumped, she flinched and tightened her hold further, suddenly much more aware of how her insides felt being dragged along. The humanoid cat’s grip on her tightened slightly. After a few jumps, he stopped and landed her delicately on a soft grassy ground. She raised her head, seeing the light go through her closed eyelids.

The air around them smelled nice.

“Not yet,” he instructed with a mutter. “I’ll tell you when I’m done.”

She nodded, then frowned slightly, wondering what could possibly warrant such a showy reveal. She felt him walk in front of her, his aura radiating with anxiety.

“Umm… Now is a good time to open your eyes.”

She did. She blinked a few time to get used to the orange crystal lights around her, but her eyes grew wide when she realized what she was surrounded with.

A garden. Syrrup’s Great Garden. Blooming with the softest of violets and red tulips. She took upon the sight of the floral arrangement in growing delight, everything from the soft blue of the echo flowers to the shiny gold of the golden flowers.

“Chat Noir…” she muttered, a hand on her cheeks as she trekked through the softly muttering garden, a smile plastered on her face. “This is… amazing!”

“I heard you liked flowers.” He winked, his aura filling with joy. “When I saw it on a patrol, I knew I had to take you there.”

“I’ve only ever seen it during the day,” she confirmed with a nod, leaning an ear close to a blue echo flower, listening to the soft whispers of previous conversations its magic had recorded. She stood up and turned. “At night, this looks like this place is out of a fairy tale!”

When she met his gaze, his lips thinned a bit.

“Yeah,” he said, a slight waver in his voice. “I kinda feel like I’m in one too…”

She looked at him curiously, only then noticing the way he kept his hands conspicuously behind his back. She walked toward him. He licked his lips.

“I, uh…” He gave her a nervous glance, before taking a breath. His smile strengthened and he swiftly brought a rose to her face, bowing down in the process. “…I have yet to find a lotus of your beauty, Ladybug. But allow me to give you this rose as an expression of my love for you.”

For a moment, she stared, eyes glued on the rose which gleamed gold under the lights. She tried to make sense of the words her partner had just said.

“…L-love?” she finally asked, her voice hoarse. The way he said it held strength. Marinette felt more than anything else the meaning that was conveyed. But she was not sure she could believe it. “I-I mean… You’re very precious to me too, Chat… I… thank you.”

She felt his disappointment before he even stood up and winced. His wide eyes met hers, his cheeks flushed with bright scarlet. Ladybug idly wondered why monsters ever did that. They had no blood under their skin.

Chat gulped audibly before taking one step closer, his eyes filled with a visible plea as he was clutching the flower.

“I… I meant more than that,” he said, taking a trembling breathes, “I…” He tried to smile again, this time unable to hide the quivers of his lips. “Ladybug, I love you.”

As she looked into her partner’s eyes, as the lights were giving his smooth human skin an orange complexion, and was flattering the golden hue of his hair, Marinette felt herself dissociate. She idly wondered how better off she would have been, had she refused Chat’s offer and called the night early. She wondered if what she was living through here and then was worth it for the future of their partnership.

She then imagined what such confession would have been like, had Adrien been the one saying it, and she started to feel sick.

She forced a soft smile, holding her hands together.

“… I see.” She clenched her fingers close, barely able to meet Chat’s deflating expression. “That’s really… flattering. Thank you.”

She tried to not pay attention to the way his ears flattened, or how his tail lowered to the ground when his shoulders sagged. His hands wriggled the rose he held awkwardly. Marinette noticed the thorns had been trimmed carefully off it.

“…Yeah,” he finally said, his eyes to the ground, something close to resentment cloaking his disappointed soul. “I guess it is ‘flattering’, huh. I…” He sighed and passed a hand through his hair. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve made everything awkward now…”

Marinette cringed and shook her head. She made a move to touch his shoulder, but stopped at the last moment.

“It’s-uh. No! It’s not you who should be sorry!” she assured. “I…” She thought of their interactions together and slapped a hand on her front. “Oh, _fluffbun_ … did I lead you on?”

“Huh? What?” Chat’s eyes widened and he waved his arms in dismay. “O-of course you didn’t, Ladybug! It’s like you said. We’re partners! I…” He brought his hands down and sighed miserably. “I know that was just me.” He swallowed. “Plagg had said… humans and monsters… that doesn’t usually… but I just kept on hoping anyway.”

Marinette felt Tikki’s discomfort, but focused on her distraught partner. She walked up to him, placing a decisive hand on his shoulder this time.

“Look, Chat, you shouldn’t have to apologize about how you feel. I…” She bit her lips and shrugged. “I guess I’m not exactly that good at this either. You’re the first boy… first _person_ , really… who has ever confessed to me. I just need to adjust a bit… But as for you?” She searched for his gaze until she found it. “Having feelings for someone, monster, or human, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Love is… beautiful.” She felt flutter in her chest at the thought. “It can go beyond being humans or being monsters. When you love someone, you just…” She smiled, in spite of the tears invading her eyes. “You just wanna say it to the world, even if you’re just as afraid of what he might think if he…”

She clammed up. He looked at her curiously, and she took the hand off his shoulder.

“…’He’?” he finally asked. She sighed and looked down at the flower field surrounding them.

“Let’s just say… well… you’re not alone in this,” she confessed. “I also have feelings for one who is not of my kind.”

She felt the wave of compassion rise from his aura. It brought up even more tears to her eyes, because this was so _typical_ of a monsters to feel for her as he was hurting.

“Who is he?” he asked softly, and she had to laugh and shake her head.

“No one whose name I will say, especially not here.” She pointed at one echo flower and gave Chat a wry look through her tears. “You sure picked a noisy neighborhood for such an intimate confession, kitty.”

“Oh.” His cheeks flushed once more as he looked at the magic flowers, which properties was to record passing conversations. “Right. I forgot echo flowers records what’s around them.”

“Either way, it doesn’t really matter,” she said, caressing one of her ponytails, wiping her eyes. “Nothing will come from this. Nothing ever does from this kind of love. I’m just… glad I’m able to experience the feeling at all.”

Glad. And a bit sad that she fell for Adrien first. Chat Noir may have been the biggest goof, sometime, and an idiot when risking his life, and sometime he could annoy her to pieces with puns in the middle of fights, or bad tastes in TV shows. But Chat was reliable. Chat was trustworthy. She meant it whenever she told him she could not have thought of having a better partner. Had Chat been human, he would have been a better alternative than Adrien, even. As is, the two brought on the table the same dilemma as best.

“Can I ask why?” His voice brought her out of her thoughts. He gave a wary look at the blue flowers around, but Ladybug knew they were likely far away enough for their conversations to be recorded as nothing but rambled echos. “I mean… if love is so beautiful… and if monsters and humans can love one another, why _can’t_ they be together?”

She wiped her eyes, smiling at the naive question.

“Well, we’re not exactly…‘compatible’, you know?”

He stared at her long enough to make her uncomfortable before speaking up.

“I mean, I guess the Soul Mingling can be important to many, but I know there’s some who don’t ever do it.” He pointed to his chest assuredly. “I know I wouldn’t mind either way.”

She groaned, feeling her cheeks flush.

“N-no, I don’t mean _those_ . Urg!” She covered her face. The monster love ritual was already pretty intimate, but the human one was just too… fleshy and gross for her to explain to him. She pushed them out of her mind and gesticulated, trying to get her point across. “I meant the _other_ things wrong with it. Like…” Her fingers twitched as she waved around. “Like the _lifespans_ , for example!” She looked at him, pointing to her chest. “I’ll be lucky to even reach ninety years, and you?” She pointed at his chest. “For all I know, you’ll still be alive for another millennia!”

Chat looked at the finger lodged on his chest in discomfort.

“Well… c-my type rarely last beyond a few hundred years,” he told her hesitantly.

“But that’s still a lot of time mourning a lost love, though, isn’t it?” She brought her hands on her hips and sighed. “And of course, the biggest issue is our… ‘lifestyle’.” She scrunched her nose at her own vagueness, but talking about things like this so publicly was making her uneasy. “You of all monsters know why.”

Chat glanced away this time, his trembling hand still holding the rose.

“I… yeah.”

A heavy silence fell in between them. Ladybug took the time to wipe her eyes again. It was strange. She felt exhausted, yet it was like a weight was gone from her chest. In a way, unloading her own love issues to Chat had helped.

It made her feel all the more guilty that she had broken his heart beforehand.

Humans did not deserve monsters. And monsters did not deserve humans either, for a different reason altogether.

She reached for his free hand, kind of surprised at how easily he took hers and gripped tightly. But it was the kind of comfort she knew they both needed.

“I’m really sorry about this, you know?” she muttered, looking up at the stars. “But the last thing I want is to play with your feelings… that’s why-”

“Yeah,” he interrupted, in a tone that was barely louder. “I do get it, Ladybug. And….” He brought his flower to his chest. “And I’m grateful about that. I knew you were someone special for a while now. Tonight only confirmed it.”

He turned to look at her, his eyes glinting a light green, accentuating the smile he was wearing. He was looking handsome. And she could feel the fondness he held for her in his aura.

“You friendship, your partnership… they mean everything to me.” He stood before her, ears raised. “Monsters or humans, that’s meaningless. All that matter is our bond to each other.”

He held up the thornless rose.

“You can keep it,” he said, letting her grab the rose with her trembling hand. “It does go well with your attire, my lady.” He looked around. “Oh, and… before we leave… let me…”

He leaned in close, making her lose her breath momentarily.

His lips softly grazed her cheek. It lasted less than a second.

Ladybug brought a hand to her face in stupefaction. He laughed wholeheartedly.

“Well, you gave me your version of a kiss a while back. I just figured I should return the favor.” He winked mischievously.

He did not see her blush when he jumped away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this tory!
> 
> Next chapter on Friday.


	22. To Serve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

Hands slammed on Marinette’s desk, startling her out of her daze.

“Dupain-Cheng,” Chloé snapped, her multi-faced eyes squinting, “You’re coming with me.”

Under her guise, Marinette blinked slowly at the unwanted distraction. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Alya move away from Nino and Adrien’s table, and toward her ladybug friend.

“Back off, Chloé.”

Chloé sniffed loudly at the fox monster, and put two of her hands on her hips.

“Oh, please, lay off, little guard dog. This doesn’t concerns you!”

“You take on my friend, you take on me, buzz-queen,” Alya retorted, her muzzle scrunched in warning. “Marinette is off-limit from your petty games.”

“Ha! And says who? _You_?”

“Girls.” Marinette raised a hand up, two others holding her head. “Stop.”

With a sigh, she stood up from her seat, and met the outraged glare of the bee.

“Are you ordering _me_? How dare you?”

Marinette clapped her mandibles in annoyance, and lowered her antennas in defeat.

“What do you want from me, Chloé?”

“I want you to follow me, how many times do I have to repeat myself?”

“Get real, Chloé,” Alya said, putting herself in front of Marinette, “Why should she listen to you?”

“Alya…” Marinette tapped her friend’s shoulder lightly, stirring up a smile, “It’s fine. Let me deal with this.”

For a moment, it looked like Alya wanted to protest, but she clasped her jaw shut after one look at Marinette’s expression, and nodded.

“I’m here if you need me.”

Nodding, Marinette walked to Chloé, who abruptly left the class. The bee made a show of sneering at Sabrina sitting at Mylène and Alix’s table, and the slime-girl shrunk down on her seat. Marinette rubbed her eyes, then followed at a slower pace. She noticed Adrien and Nino’s worried looks, and felt a conflicting stir of painful emotions inside her chest. The boys and Alya had been working on the genealogy project all morning. Adrien had seemed especially eager to ask for help, for a change, but Marinette had not been able to bring herself to join them after last night.

This was stupid. She was ridiculous.

‘ _You’re really not, Marinette,’_ Tikki commented silently.

What was she even supposed to do with a rose, anyway?

‘ _Put it somewhere nice? Or throw it away? I don’t think he’ll resent you for that.’_

Of course, he would not resent her. Monsters did not do such negativity.

‘ _Marinette…’_

Marinette swallowed, then shook her head with a sigh. No, she was being ridiculous. Of course monsters could resent. If he did not, it was because he was a good _person_ , not that he was a monster… was it?

…What did this matter, anyway? She was not about to lie for his sake. Chat was a strong kitty. He could handle it.

“Hello? Are you dense, Dupain-Cheng? I’m talking to you!”

Marinette’s antennas snapped up, and she finally noticed Chloé had led them both into one of the school’s bathroom. The ladybug monster looked around before scratching her muzzle.

“Ah, um. Yeah. You were saying?”

She felt Chloé’s aura darken with anger, but she was much too used to it by now. Surprisingly, the bee regained control fast, and crossed her arms with a huff.

“Really, is this what we’re getting for class rep deputy now? What a joke! You can’t even properly follow a conversation!”

Marinette was mostly too distracted to get angry, even at Chloé. Still, she crossed her own arms, and raised an antenna.

“Are you still at it? It’s been a week already. Sabrina is doing a decent job-”

“Sabrina is _mine_ , Dupain-Cheng,” Chloé seethed, her insect eyes now inches away from Marinette’s face. The girl recoiled from the bee as she continued. “I don’t know what you and your little followers did to pollute her mind, but it won’t work for long. This girl knows her place, and she _will_ take it back eventually!”

This time, Chloé succeeded in angering Marinette. She clenched her fists and glared, the beats of her heartbeats sounding hard in her ears.

“Sabrina is not your slave, Chloé.”

The bee straight up snorted at that. She shook her head disbelievingly.

“I don’t believe you’re stupid enough to think that, especially after those little magic shows you love to do.” Chloé smirked, with an unnervingly stillness to her expression. “You may dazzle some monster kids into liking you now, but you’re deluded if you think you’re their equal. You and I both know. And I happen to be on a higher ground than you. Any more stunts like the one you pulled last election, and my daddy will make sure you and your stupid bakery home will be relocated underground.”

Marinette felt like lunging at the disgusting bee’s face. Instead, she forced herself to reel back, with great difficulty. She was certain Chloé could feel how angry she was, because, how dare she? How dare she be so _horrible_?

Was this who Sabrina cried for? This thing? Was this who she tried so hard to revive?

What was the point of her life?

‘ _Marinette…’_

She bit her angry retort down at Tikki’s soft warning. Nothing good would come of fighting her. Not here, not now. Even if Chloé could not put her threat in execution and cast her family to the Burrows, he parents would never approve of such conduct from her.

All she could do was take it. And Chloé knew it.

The bee smirked.

“Glad to see you finally understand.” She flicked a finger at Marinette’s muzzle, her wings buzzing in satisfaction. “As long as you stay in your lane, Dupain-Cheng, I’ll let you play your little sparkle student game.” She turned and waved a hand. “And get a better perfume, girl. You stink.”

Marinette glared at her back. When Chloé was about to leave the bathroom, she had to reply back.

“Not as much as you do. Maybe that’s why Ladybug came to help Sabrina and not you.”

The bee froze, and threw a wide-eyed look at Marinette. The disguised human stiffened, hearing Tikki’s silent chiding and instantly regretting the provocation. Chloé’ looked suddenly lost, like they had been the first few times after her resurrection. Marinette held her breath.

Finally, as if coming out of a daze, Chloé’s antenna snapped to life, and she left the room as if nothing happened. Invaded by relief and a heavy feeling, Marinette leaned on the nearest wall, and breathed out.

‘ _That was not wise at all, Marinette. What if she starts remembering?’_

Marinette’s mandibles snapped, and she put a hand on her head.

“Yeah… I know… She just… She’s…”

Horrible. Disgusting.

…Human.

“Impossible,” she finished lamely out loud, her gaze losing itself on the bathroom’s stalls in front of her. “To think she’d stoop so low as to involve my parents… for some stupid election? And Sabrina, _fluffbun_ …” She clenched her fists in frustration. Marinette did not even like the slime-girl that much still, but even then. “Sabrina doesn’t deserve a ‘friend’ like that! She even _thinks_ of her as a slave! You heard that! Disgusting!”

‘… _Marinette… she…’_

“… She what?” she repeated idly, suddenly realizing she was talking in a public area, and switching her query to a mental voice. _She what, Tikki?_

The earrings’ spirit took a moment to answer, her silence strangely unsettling.

‘ _I think… I think I know what this is.’_

_This? What ‘this’?_

‘ _Sabrina and Chloé,’_ Tikki elaborated, _‘I think I already know about it. Sometimes… Sometimes, the higher human classes have monsters servants. Specifically bred to care for them. It’s rare, but it happens.’_

Marinette felt her inside grow cold. She shook her head in dismay, because that did not make sense. Monsters could not be sustained in captivity and low Hope. It just could _not_ work.

‘ _On some very special cases, it can,’_ Tikki replied back evenly, her voice sounding faraway. _‘Usually, if the monster kid is given a human to bond affectionately, for example, like Sabrina likely was with Chloé. It doesn’t always work… and they rarely live past the hundred. But they exist.’_

Marinette swallowed the bile coming up at the notion. She closed her eyes, feeling her true body tremble under the illusion. Her fingers gripped at the wall under them, like she was trying to dig through.

A slave. Even today, in her class, there lived a _slave_. Under everyone’s nose.

The reason why Sabrina lived in the Hotel was now so evident.

How could she have been so blind? How could she let it happen now that she knew, her family’s bakery be damned?

‘ _You can’t act on this alone, Marinette, and we don't have the resources to get her out,’_ Tikki said, her presence gently cradling her soul. _‘Sabrina has yet to realize herself as an individual, and she is the one who will have to make the first step to ask. Until then, all you can do is to be ready for her.’_

… _So, doing nothing is what you’re advising?_

‘ _For now, you can’t afford to work on this. Sabrina is in no imminent danger; the Amalgamate threat is more pressing.’_

Marinette’s lips quivered. She smiled painfully.

“So, that’s your great wisdom, huh? Amazing.”

She brushed off Tikki’s reply, and headed back to class, barely able to contain the spite in her remark.

\--

‘ _Should you really transform during the day, Marinette? We didn’t let Chat Noir do it, so we don’t have a good excuse to either.’_

“You’ve been really good at keeping me morally grounded, haven’t you, Tikki?”

Maybe Marinette had not meant for sarcasm to drip off her tone. Maybe she did.

Either way, Tikki withdrew her presence, and Marinette was tired.

School was out. Her parents had still given her curfew rules to follow even after all this time. And she could understand it, the Amalgamates were still roaming Syrrup’s streets randomly.

Today, she had asked her parents if she could go to Alya’s and study together for the nearing test. They had agreed on the condition that either they or Alya’s parents escorted Marinette home two hours from then.

When Alya had asked her before they left school if Marinette’s curfew was lifted, Marinette had lied, and said she was going home straight after school.

She had left in a different direction all together, her sketchbook in hand, a different monster disguise, and an urgent need to be free from being herself for a good two hours.

Maybe that silly partner of her had been onto something. Not that she was in a good mood for him today. His late night confession had taken its toll on her already thinning beauty sleep.

 _Maybe I’m going slowly mad_ , she thought dryly as she turned to a small deserted street, her spotted ginger feline form easily maneuvering herself inside the nooks and crannies of the cardboard collection filling the place. _Maybe I’ll wake up one day, and think Tikki was just the manifestation of my own anxiety, and that Ladybug and Chat Noir are but the childish dreams of a desperate dust-eater. How could I even tell the difference?_

‘ _You’re smart enough to find out, Marinette,’_ Tikki answered softly, even if the thoughts weren’t directed at her.

_I wish that was the case._

She whispered the transformation spell after she knew for sure no other auras were around. Her hero form replaced her alternate monster self and Marinette sighed. She still was not fond of cat forms, but she was sadly limited in experience as far as monster disguises went.

She called forth her wings and flew on top of a rooftop, sitting down on a good spot. She was far enough from home that she did not think she would compromise them. And all she wanted was to stay away from people, so she had no reason to make her presence known.

She looked down at her sketchbook, then carefully tore the last drawing she had doodled. Once the cat-eared blond humanoid was in little pieces, she called for her bug bullets and let them eat the bits in her hands.

No trace of it left. And she had a new viewpoint now. Maybe it would help her think of something else. Aside from him. Aside from Chloé.

She gazed down at the town. She could never appreciate it this long during the day. Amalgamates were taking all her time spent as Ladybug for themselves. The town looked so much different during the night. Not worse, or better. Only different. In a way that was still entrancing and full of life. The people racing down the streets were a different life than the lights of the night, but not any less worthy of appreciation.

Ladybug’s pen lightly traced the streets under her. Drawing something new. Drawing something for inspiration. For her passion. Actually doing something for herself for a change. Not for her parents, her classmates, or even for Ladybug and Chat Noir.

She thought she had missed it. And she had. Until the pen grazed the surface of the paper and she gazed at the poor rendition of her world. Maybe she lost some training. Maybe. Or maybe, her eyes got too good at catching her imperfections. Maybe it was a combination of both.

Either way, she could not draw anything satisfactory today. She longed for the night. She longed for the fights, and the flights. She longed for the spells and side-glances shared with a trusted person.

When did her life became so unappealing? When did her unease about losing herself in this conflict grew so numb?

When did it start taking over her life, and when did she _let_ it?

“I think I hate this?” she spoke out loud, her eyes going from her drawing to the town below. She was not even sure was ‘this’ was meant to be anymore.

This time, Tikki only manifested herself as a compassionate force in her soul. Marinette felt this was the best the earrings’ spirit could give her at this time.

“She’s still the same as before. Mostly. Same bad person.” Her thoughts went to Chloé as she spoke. “Everything is the same when it shouldn’t be. And it’s because of me.”

‘ _You did what you had to.’_

And more. But Marinette ignored the thought. She was not supposed to be the judge of this, was she? Maybe it was part of the universe’s plan to grant a bunch of kids the ability to resurrect the dead. Maybe it was the plan to save Chloé, of all people. Who was she to say?

‘ _Chloé had the luck of having suffered few physical damages, to have her body preserved, and an extremely anatomically knowledgeable slime girl to help two heroes save her. Don’t let what Plagg told you before burden you, Marinette. Your ‘new powers’ are not beyond known science. You’re not a god.’_

 _That I know_ , Marinette thought back idly, _can you confirm the same for you?_

‘ _I…_ huh _?’_

A black form moving in the distance caught her eyes. When she spotted the black feline tail, she groaned and put her head in the space between her chest and her knees, moaning.

“I don’t want to deal with this right now,” she complained, still not looking up.

‘ _Maybe you don’t have to? Maybe he’s also taking a run like us, and there’s no emergency?’_

Marinette shook her head and slowly stood up. She knew her luck. Chat Noir running around in daylight meant Amalgamates. It meant a call for her to assist soon. She may as well join in now.

They did not have to talk about last night, right?

Ladybug materialized her yo-yo, and vibrated her pink wings.

\--

She lost track of Chat Noir a few minutes later and groaned, landing on a round building with a moan.

“Aw, come on! He did _not_ disappear on me just now!” She lightly tapped her foot as she materialized her communicator and checked for messages. “Did he seriously keep this habit of running around even after we’ve discussed safety issues together? What will I ever do with this cat!”

‘ _You’d probably have more ground to be angry if you were not doing the very same thing yourself…’_

“Don’t rub it in,” she grumbled, before a familiar sight bellow caught her attention and she crouched down with a ‘meep!’.

She peeked down slowly, and yes. It was _him_. In all his golden fur glory. Adrien Agreste was posing in front of the camera an excited monster was holding. The set was occasionally looked at by fidgeting young monsters pointing at the teen model.

Even from up high, Marinette could picture the soft smile Adrien was giving around. She stiffened a squeal.

“Oh, _fluffbun_ , I totally forgot Adrien had a photo-shoot this afternoon!” She paused and scratched her head. “Wow, I really have been spazzing out to forget something like that…”

‘ _I’ll say. You printed his whole schedule.’_

Marinette sent an annoyed glare at the sky before looking down again. She lied down on her belly, put her elbows down, and her head in between her hands. She then let out a sigh of contempt.

Adrien… even at such a distance, she could stare at him all day. It was definitely a time better spent than trying to doodle, her crush could make her momentarily forget all of her worries.

‘ _Remember we still need to head home in an hour.’_

“Yeah… don’t worry, Tikki.” Her dreamy expression vanished and she looked down guilty. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a jerk to you today. You don’t deserve my sour mood.”

‘ _That’s okay. I understand you’re under a lot of pressure… and Sabrina’s situation is very stressful.’_ She felt Tikki’s mental comfort. ‘ _And I’m glad to see this makes you feel better too.’_

Marinette hummed and looked down at the photo-shoot again, noticing the way monsters were packing tools in disappointment.

“It looks like we only caught the end of it, though.” She sighed and stretched. “Ah, well. It’s definitely better than nothing! And I can’t wait to see what the photos look like in magazines!”

She looked at Adrien and his gorilla monster bodyguard heading toward their transport, a large black carrier. Her hand gripped the building she was lying on and she stood up, brushing herself. After this blessed sight, she was feeling inspired again. Maybe she could try some more sketching before going home.

She had just turned around when she heard the crashing sound.

Her hand instantly grasped her newly conjured yo-yo as she stared down. The black carrier had its trajectory cut out by a grey vehicle, and had come down crashing into a bush. Most monsters around the scene were moving away in high alert, but some did not.

Two large rocky types, two wolf-like monsters holding clubs, and a last one whose face would be the most aptly described as ‘horse-like’ were heading toward the busted black carrier.

The confidence of their strutting, and the bags held by the rock monsters rang a silent alarm bell in Marinette’s head.

She saw Adrien’s concerned expression when his gorilla protector came out and flexed his fists at them in warning.

“Adrien,” she whispered. “They’re here for Adrien!”

Why anyone would go after this wonderful boy was beyond her understanding at this point. But looking at her gloved hand, she just knew she could not let any of those nasty characters touch a single fur strand on Adrien’s person!

‘ _It’s time for Ladybug to make an appearance as Syrrup’s protector!’_

“Let’s get this started,” she growled, her wings buzzing.

The wolves both jumped at the gorilla, but he swatted them away with a roar. One of the rock monster threw a knocker at his face and sent him straight down on the carrier’s protective shell, leaving him unconscious.

Adrien tried to sneak under the crashed vehicle, but was caught by the paw and dragged out by the second rock monster, who was holding out the bag, looking to Horse-face as if for instruction.

The horse opened his mouth, but his words never got out.

Instead, a glowing yo-yo slammed the side of his head with pink sparkles.

“Get away from him, you brutes!”

And Ladybug descended on the rock monster’s arm with a kick. She heard cracking rumbles as she tore through his magic. As he let go of Adrien, Ladybug grabbed the teen model by the waist and flew them to the top of the carrier.

She stood proudly, Adrien in her arms as she glared at the befuddled villains.

“There will be no harm coming to this upstanding citizen on my watch!” she proclaimed, both in anger, and a slight touch of excitement at being able to live one of her fantasy scenarios.

It was made even better by Adrien’s strangled noise and blushing face.

The assaulting monsters were not as impressed, however. The rock monster whose arm she had kicked was still on the ground clutching it, but the others had recovered and were throwing her dirty looks.

Horse-face was clutching his injured jaw with a frown.

“Take care of this,” he ordered the two wolves, who lunged at Ladybug with low pitched growls. She threw one of her compacts, shielding Adrien as she flew away from the wolves’ assault. Adrien still clutching her neck, she sent her yo-yo at the other rock being and tied him up.

“Lucky Break!” she chanted when the wolves turned to go after her. The ladybug swarms coming from the compact on the ground blinded all of her opponents momentarily, giving her time to fly up, put Adrien on a balcony safely out of reach, and wrapping her yo-yo’s string around an iron pole on the building’s ledge.

She flew down at the wolves, and kicked them straight into each other, tying them with the yo-yo’s wire in the process. With a flicker of her wrist, she willed her yo-yo’s string to retract. It pulled both tied wolves and the rock monster up to the iron pole, sending them crash into each other with loud yelps as the momentum of the swing took over.

She saw Adrien gaze down from the balcony at the defeated group of monsters. Ladybug gave him a thumbs up. He returned it with a smile, which morphed into a concerned look.

“ _Behind you_ , Ladybug!”

She ducked just in time and avoided the glowing fist of the horse-faced monster. She rolled away to face the last foe, fingers flexing. Instead of calling out bullets, the monsters concentrated his magic into a long sword-like shape with a glowing orange hue.

“I don’t have time to play with little heroes like you, girl,” he said, his eyes scrutinizing her every moves. “You should stick to your Amalgamates and abominations. This doesn’t concern you.”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed. She took out another compact, and spent a charge to make an additional yo-yo weapon.

“Anything and _anyone_ harming the citizens of my town is my concern. Why are you after Adrien Agreste?”

“You should have a better grasp of where your loyalty lies, Ladybug,” he answered instead of addressing her question, raising his sword. “This will be the death of you.”

He thrust. She parried with her spinning yo-yo. Her eyes widened when the sword went through the string like it was nothing and pierced through her shoulder. She cried in pain at the magic attack and barely had the presence of mind to jump back with a high kick. The satisfaction of hitting horse-face’s chin was damped by her burning shoulder.

They circled each other. She started spinning her yo-yo to form her magic shield and parried again when he lunged with his sword. Like before, the orange sword went through, burning her arm. But the horse’s hand went too forward and hit the spinning magic cord. He had to recoil back with a hiss.

Clutching her burned arm, Ladybug readied herself to parry when the horse monster swung his sword again.

“Ladybug, stay in movement!”

Adrien’s voice made her flinch back as the sword passed through her shield again. This time, however, there was no burning sensation when the sword passed through her moving form. She glanced up at the balcony, where Adrien has cooped his hands around his mouth to make his voice go further.

“He’s using Bravery-based magic! It hurts anything standing still, but those moving pass right through it!”

Horse-face looked up at the cat monster, his eyes sending daggers.

“You will pay for this, pussy-cat!”

“Eyes on your adversary, horse-face!” Ladybug roared, forcing his attention back on her as she threw the yo-yo. The horse glowed orange and went through the cord. He dropped his orange coating, and raised his sword again. His swing was interrupted by lime sparkles of lights raining down around him. He screamed in rage at the cat shooting bullet patterns, then thoughtlessly ran into Ladybug’s yo-yo’s wire.

The cord caught him by the throat. He choked. Ladybug retracted the wire to jump and landed a kick straight on his jaw, sending them both on the ground. She secured her hold over him, her yo-yo’s wire still tight around his neck.

“Give it up now, and things won’t get too messy,” she told him, fingers tensed on the wire.

The horse coughed and chuckled.

“I, ah, I wouldn’t be so sure, bug.”

A scream rose behind her. She turned, eyes wide as the rock monster with the injured arm charged at her. He was tackled just in time by the gorilla monster, who still looked dizzy, but was pushing the other monster’s face down into the dirt with a restraining technique.

The annoyed groan and the cough of the horse monster she was sitting on brought her attention back to him.

“Damn it… and they said it was an easy gig too…”

Ladybug frowned and tightened her hold on the wire.

“Who said that? Who do you work for?”

“No one a monster-lover like you needs to know about.”

“Monster…”

Her eyes widened. She looked down at his injured restrained hand. There was nothing visible on it, but under it, in the dirt, she could see the brown stain spreading.

Blood. He was bleeding.

“You’re… human,” she muttered, glancing at the restrained wolves and rock monsters dangling from the pole, then at the last monster held by the gorilla, his rocky arm set in an unnatural angle. “All of you… _renegades_?” She looked back at the horse face. “But…”

“We’re not mere renegades,” he spat, earning himself a cough from the wires tightening around his throat. “We’re honest workers here. Unlike little _terrorists_ like you.”

Ladybug grit her teeth, refraining from answering. She knew this changed everything.

“So, what do you plan to do now, little hero?” he mocked with a hissing laugh. “Are you going to turn us into the ‘proper authority’? Or make us drop our forms here and now? ‘Cause I gotta warn you.” A sneer spread on his equine lips. “This would be the best was to ensure all those nice monsters around us get dusted. Including the little cat model you fought us for.”

“Shut up,” she snapped, glancing fearfully at the monster crowd watching. A lot had their phones out and where recording the scene. Many looked like they were cheering for her. Ladybug. The hero of the monster world.

‘ _Marinette, be careful…’_

Fighting Amalgamates was definitely easier.

She looked up at Adrien, who was still watching from the balcony, then sighed and leaned down at the horse-faced disguised human.

“The monster authorities are coming. Leave now. And nothing is compromised.”

He shot her a dark look, then shrugged. She kicked his back when she stood up and looked at the gorilla.

“Get off that rock guy, sir. I’ve got this.”

The gorilla stepped away warily, just in time for Ladybug to fling the restrained horse-face into the injured rock monster. The two other them sent her a glare. She just towered over them, wings buzzing. Then, she snapped her fingers dramatically and erased her first yo-yo from existence. The two wolves and the rock monsters dangling from the pole fell into a pile of yelps and whines.

Ladybug spun her yo-yo.

“Now, scram. All of you.”

The disguised humans left. First slowly, then running, ducking into a small street, avoiding the surprised monsters of the crowd. Ladybug’s eyes were locked on their running form until they disappeared. Even as she was flying up to Adrien and picking him again.

When the human attackers were out of sight, she relaxed slightly, then gave a concerned look to Adrien.

“Are you alright? I… I’m sorry I had to strand you up here like this.”

His emerald green eyes gazed into hers, and she suddenly remembered _who_ she was holding close. Her cheeks were heating even as they were slowly coming down, his beautiful fur floating in the wind. His smile brighter than any she had ever seen on his lips.

How could he be so pretty even after that…

Also, oh _fluffbun_ , he was so close to her had she ever been so close to him before she did not know how to handle this she felt like screaming-

“Everything’s alright now that you’re here…” He made a short humming noise before cutting himself and blurting out “Ladybug! I just… Thank you.”

He thanked her. _He thanked her!_

Had he ever looked at her with those eyes before? Maybe it looked different when she was disguised as a monster. With her real height, they were about the same size.

Perfect for losing themselves into each other’s gaze.

_Cough._

They both flinched and looked. A monster with grey skin and a perfectly round ball head was grinning at them. Its smile was spread to half of its face.

“It looks like a well-executed rescue,” it said, its voice brandishing the deepness of a masculine tone.

Ladybug and Adrien quickly let go of each others, auras radiating with embarrassment, and a hand behind their heads.

Another monster walked forward, whom Ladybug recognized as Officer Raincomprix, Sabrina’s father. The plate-covered slime was bouncing his form as he looked around.

“Looks like the perps got away, but thankfully, no one fell down, inspector, sir,” he addressed the round-headed monster, making a short salute. “The Agreste kid’s bodyguard suffered a few hits.”

Adrien gasped and looked at the monsters surrounding the gorilla monster with concern.

“Is he going to be alright?”

“Well, as far as we can gather, the answer is yes, young one.” Officer Raincompris scratched his slimy head under his cap. “This monster is tough.”

“Why don’t you accompany young Agreste to his bodyguard?” the round-headed monster, apparently an ‘inspector’, asked Raincomprix before smiling at Ladybug. “I’ll take care of our young heroine’s testimony in the meantime.”

Something about the way the monster said this made Ladybug squirm uncomfortably. She and Adrien gave each other surprisingly attuned concerned glances before Raincomprix took the young cat monster by the shoulder and gently led him away.

Adrien gave Ladybug a weak smile and a wave as he left, making her heart flutter. The feeling disappeared as soon as her eyes fell on the smiling inspector and she wriggled her hands.

“I, uh… hello, inspector sir.”

“Hello, Ladybug.” He smiled and nodded, seemingly amused as he was sizing her up. “Allow me to personally thank you for the work that you did today. Some of the footage filmed were online before we could deploy our forces, and this was a remarkable display of heroism.”

“Ah, thank you, uh…” She massaged her neck. “I’m sorry I couldn’t catch them.”

“Oh, I never expected someone like _you_ would. Have no fear.”

She froze and looked at him carefully, trying to figure out if there was truly a hidden meaning to his phrasing. When he noticed this, he snickered, then took a raw chicken egg out of his pocket and gobbled it.

“You have nothing to fear from me. I’m just an old monster doing my job,” he assured her, his bulging white eyes locked on her. “Believe it or not, we’re probably closer to being on the same side.”

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

“ _What_ side, exactly?”

“The one where everybody live… if possible.”

The amending was followed by another egg being plowed out of his large coat. Ladybug waited as he gobbled that one as well.

“… And if we’re on ‘the same side’, sir,” Ladybug started carefully, “then, do you have a special need of talking to me? I mean, um…” She fidgeted, glancing around. “I-if we do, t-then, someone like you might not want… to make yourself known to someone like me, if possible? Unless you want something? In particular?”

“I mostly wanted a confirmation,” he said with a shrug, “which I think I just had today. However…”

He looked up with a hum, before fishing something in his large coat. For a moment, Ladybug expected another egg, but it was a piece of paper instead. He handed it to Ladybug. She saw the faint outline of words that looked like they had been scribbled with an inkless pencil.

“There’s a time and place for everything,” the monster said, bringing Ladybug’s attention back to him. “The time, if that’s alright with you, is midnight today. The place… well… I’m sure you will find it.” His already large smile managed to widened. “If you’re suspecting disdainful tactics like a trap, I can understand. All I can offer you is my words that I have no intention of causing the downfall of either of Syrrup’s sweetheart heroes.”

Ladybug bit her lips and grasped the paper tighter.

“I make no promises,” she said in a low voice. “And if it happens, Chat Noir is coming too.”

“Naturally,” he said with a laugh before looking at the officers working. “Well, unless you’re willing to make an actual testimony, I would suggest for you to leave now. I’d wager this is dangerous for you to stay long in the open.”

Ladybug gave him a frown, but flapped her wings and flew away, still clenching the paper.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with this!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	23. Midnight Crew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

“Anything more you could find on that guy?” asked Chat Noir as he jumped from one building to the next, glancing whenever he could at Ladybug flying beside him. “Or do we jump straight into the cat’s mouth? I’m open to either options. Just curious.”

“I didn’t get the time to check,” Ladybug answered back, recalling the light scolding she received when she got home late. Thankfully she had the foresight to call Alya and ask for a cover story before her own parents called. But that meant she would be grilled by Alya tomorrow about where she had gone.

“A shame,” he answered with a light tone.

“I have an inkling of what he might be,” she confessed, glancing around the unfamiliar part of town.

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” She squinted in the night, wondering if she should try to form night-vision for herself. “I’m sure he’ll tell us himself if that’s the case, though.”

“…Okay, then.” He stopped for a bit, tail swinging. “Well, I suppose if he’s not with those human kidnappers you mentioned, he’s a safer bet.” He directed his glowing eyes at her. “Say, what do you think made them go after the Agreste kid in broad daylight? Is that… even common?”

She slowed her flight and shook her head, a hand on one of her compacts.

“I’m not gonna lie to you. There _are_ dust-eaters who kidnap monsters in the streets. They’re… not exactly lawful, but that’s still a more tolerated crime than some others, especially in a town with a high population… I’ve never been to those parts of the Burrows, though.”

“Yeah…” He looked down at the glowing crystals of the street with a frown. “I can imagine why you wouldn’t bring me there during our ‘underground spying times’ either.”

She swallowed and started flying forth again.

“I’m not sure for Adrien Agreste, though. Kidnapping monsters is usually done away from prying eyes, and it concerns less… well… _famous_ people. This looked like it was made to be seen. And flashy. I don’t know why they tried to kidnap Adrien, but I don’t think it was for his dust.”

She heard Chat Noir’s hum before he jumped in front of her again.

“Think this is related to his father, maybe?”

“His father?” She gave him a curious look. “You mean world-known fashion designer Gabriel Agreste? What could he have done to make them go after Adrien?”

Chat shrugged, his back turned as he kept going forward.

“I don’t know. Maybe because he’s rich? They were looking to ransom his son?”

“They’re _humans_ , though. There are easier ways for us to get money, and definitely more low-key ones.”

“Okay, so maybe it’s not money, then.” She caught his frown when he stopped. “Maybe Gabriel Agreste is just hiding things from the world, and made some enemies.”

She could not believe what she was hearing.

“Again, though. We’re talking Gabriel Agreste? Wh-how…” She sighed and massaged her head. “Where would he even get the time to get enemies? And for what purpose?”

“Oh, he’s got the time,” She caught Chat rolling his eyes before he amended. “Probably. I mean, this monster spends all his time as a hermit in his home. All his interventions are through video conferences. Heck.” He snorted. “I bet even his own _son_ barely sees him around.” His shoulders sagged, and he shook his head. “You’re right, though, I can’t find a good reason for why he’d be involved in anything. Maybe it’s nothing.”

Chat jumped forward, and Ladybug watched him for a moment before shaking her head and catching up. Talking about Adrien’s father with Chat, of all people, was a bit unsettling, especially to debate whether or not he was involved into shady business. Sure, she knew the monster was reclusive, like Chat said, and definitely not father of the year to Adrien, but that did not mean he was a _criminal_. After all, this was Adrien they were talking about! The last thing he needed was something like that to be true.

“Maybe the inspector has a clue,” she finally answered, her eyes settling on the wide bulb-shaped warehouse at the outskirt of the town. The place the paper had indicated. “At this point, I’m…” She clenched her fists, her voice softening. “I’m just glad Adrien got out of this okay.”

“Tell me about it,” Chat answered dryly before coughing. “I mean, I am too. Really!” He flashed her a wide smile. “Getting saved by my lady herself. That’s just the cat’s meow! For him, I mean!” He chuckled. “He sure is a lucky guy.”

His words brought her musing back to Adrien’s flushed face as he had stared at her with adoration. She could not help a giggle.

“Yeah. I felt lucky too!”

Chat almost slipped. When she saw his bewildered expression, she realized how out of character her gushing was for her. She gesticulated nervously. “No! I mean… What I meant was…Oh! Look! We’re here!”

She dived through the warehouse bulb’s opening without even glancing at her partner, too preoccupied in diverting his attention. She frowned at Tikki’s silent snickering before her eyes settled on the darkness. Only then did she realize a less direct entry would have been wiser.

The warehouse was big, and filled with egg-like pods, likely containing electronic components, given the atmosphere surrounding ladybug. It was also very dark, with the exception of a glowing purple crystal in the middle of the structure.

Not far from the light, sitting on a chair, she could see the faint form of the round ball-head of the inspector monster. As if he had divined her eyes on him, he flicked his large soft fingers, and a silver ball of light appeared above him. Thanks to it, Ladybug could now see a second monster not far from him, with feline features and glowing eyes.

“Ah, Ladybug,” the ball-headed inspector said just as she heard Chat Noir land on a ledge above her. “And Chat Noir. Right on time, I see. Thank you for seeing us.”

Ladybug waited a little before carefully descending toward the monster, followed by Chat Noir. When they neared, she could finally see the other monster. It was lean and graceful. A cat, as she had guessed. The tip of its limbs and its face were dark-colored, the way some cats were in the burrows, and its observant eyes were of a bright blue.

When she landed, the inspector stood up, getting his coat off. When he did, he uncovered a black and white striped shirt and a pair of shorts covering his stubby legs. He gracelessly made his way toward the two heroes, each of his steps making his overgrown head comically waddle. At about ten feet, he stopped, pulled out a chicken egg out of his pocket and gobbled it.

“Sorry about that,” he said after swallowing. “Bad habit, I know, but it helps me calm down. I’m sure you can imagine how much I need that in my line of work.”

Ladybug nodded. Chat puts his hands on his hips.

“You mean, as a ‘monster of the law’, or…”

The monster’s round face cocked at Chat before he shook his head and let out a guttural laugh.

“Heh, not in my most known branch. Well… unless you’re thinking of Hunter work, I suppose. Although the law we follows is a different set.”

Ladybug felt her partner’s shock through his aura, and gave him a look of concern. He was too busy pointing at the ball monster.

“A _Hunter_ ?” He sounded like he was strangling himself. “As in… a ‘Hunting Spear’ dust-eater Hunter?” He gave Ladybug a wide-eyed look, probably alerted by her lack of reaction. “A-and… oh, fluffbun, you _knew_ about this?”

Ladybug grimaced and shrugged.

“They’re different from those on TV… I think,” she amended, giving the monster a scrutinizing look. “At least, if you’re really on the side that wishes for ‘everyone to live’?”

The monster chuckled, seemingly still amused by Chat’s reaction. He answered Ladybug in spite of his laughter.

“You’ve got the proper read, don’t worry.” He put his hands in his pockets. “It’s not exactly the most widespread opinion among us, true. I just happen to have lived through enough dumb life and death situations to think that demonizing every dust-eater you cross path with is a sure way to end up in a bag somewhere underground.”

She saw Chat wince, but neither she, nor the other monsters commented on it.

“You can probably guess, given the circumstances,” the Hunter continued, waving around them, “but we’re meeting with you without our colleagues’ knowledge. In truth, there’s even a price on your heads. It’s just that no hunters know how to confront you and win, and your popularity means trouble if you suddenly vanish.”

Ladybug bit her lips and nodded, crossing her arms.

“There’s a price on us from the Watch as well.”

“I’m not surprised. We often work with them.”

“Now, wait a minute.” Chat raised a finger, his perplexity visible. “The Watch are humans, are they not? _Why_ would human-hunters ally themselves with humans?”

The inspector snorted. Ladybug heard the cat monster behind him give out a small huff.

“Ah. To be that young and innocent,” the ball-headed monster said, before turning to Chat. “Do you know _who_ would benefit from revealing humanity’s presence to monsters? Their every holds on monster politics? Their every hold on monster cultures? Our ways of lives?” He shook his head sadly. “No one, that’s who. Humans can be everywhere. They can be _anyone_. Even their own government don’t know where some of their own members are.”

A shiver went through the Hunter.

“Were their presence to be discovered for good, mass panic would ensue. And then what? Another war? A civil war with beings who hide among us? Some as never anything more than secretly dust-consuming monster family? There would be no winners in this conflict. The war of six thousand years ago is the very reason we’re into this mess. If another breaks now, I’m not even convinced monsters would survive against what humanity has become.”

A silence fell over the four of them. Ladybug gulped nervously and shook her thoughts away from the idea of a new war.

“S-so then… what brought this meeting, inspector?” Ladybug crossed her arms. “And for that matter, do you have something better than ‘inspector’ for us to call you?”

“A fair question,” he said with a laugh, digging his pocket for another egg before answering. “Emil is my name. But in my line of work…” He set his large smile on her. “They call me ‘Kid Mime’.”

“… Because of the stripped shirt?” Chat guessed as Emil gobbled the egg. The Hunter laughed and shook his head.

“Well… That’s somewhat correct. I inherited this from my father’s line of work, however.” He gave the shirt a look before gesturing to the tawny-brown cat monster, who was walking closer. “This here is my old time partner Allegra. She started on the field the same time that I did.”

Allegra merely gave the two heroes a respectful nod, then turned her attention back to Emil, who was scratching the back of his large head.

“Well, at this point, there’s not much for me to do than to offer my service as an informant to you.”

Ladybug blinked in surprise.

“An informant?”

“Mostly on anything concerning the Amalgamates,” he explained, “since everyone knows that’s what you’re after.” He cackled, but there was bitterness in his aura. “No one at work wants to admit it, but you’ve been the only ones successful at getting rid of them. The best we’ve managed is locking them away… which I know is yet _another_ reason why we’re not actively chasing after you right now.” His smile vanished. “Believe it or not, I tried to get into contact with Ladybug and Chat Noir for a few months now…” His eyes seemed to squint a bit. “Which brings a few more things to the table.”

He turned to Chat Noir.

“From your reaction alone at finding out we were Hunters, I think I can make a few assumptions.” He raised one of his three fingers. “First, you’re an actual monster, not a human, and younger than you appear. Second…” he raised another finger. “You’re unlikely to be the original Chat Noir. Am I correct in that deduction?”

Chat faltered a bit, then sent an alarmed look at Ladybug. She tensed when Emil smiled again and raised his last finger up.

“And third. With everything I’ve gathered so far, plus that reaction you’re giving me. I do believe _you’re_ not the original Ladybug either.”

For a moment, Ladybug’s throat went dry. She did not know how to address this with a stranger without mentioning Tikki or Plagg, and that was a big no no is her book. She swallowed, switched position and crossed her arms.

“That’s a pretty bold claim,” she finally said.

Emil smiled further.

“And I don’t see you refute it.”

Ladybug shrugged. She knew this was pointless at this point. Sensing Tikki’s alarm she spoke.

“You can believe what you want.”

He huffed, then put his hands in his pockets.

“That’s fine by me.” He cocked his head. “If it’s any reassurance, I don’t think anyone else other than us found out among the Hunters. Though I guess that’s mostly because no one else obsessed over analyzing old video footage to find your predecessors and contact them. The way you decided to appear on camera was out of character for the old Ladybug and Chat Noir, but it was somewhat of a smart move. People are now too concerned about your current appearances to obsess over your old ones.”

Ladybug was unsure how to take the back-handed compliment, but Tikki urged her to be careful. Emil shrugged.

“I have no idea how you took over the old ones’ powers, though,” he admitted. “Ladybug, I figured would have just used a particular sort of unknown super potent dust, but I had theorized Chat Noir was a fusion. And fusions should not be able to give away their powers, now, should they?”

“I thought you said you wanted to share information with us,” Ladybug cut him, putting herself slightly in front of a wary Chat Noir. “Or was that just a ruse to interrogate us?”

Allegra’s tail twitched and Emil raised his hands up in a placating manner, chuckling.

“Ah. You’ll have to excuse me. I’ve waited so long to finally cross your path… well, your predecessors’, anyway.” He put his hands in his pockets, his expression growing amused. “I _had_ hoped to learn more, it’s true. But given you’re merely good kids trying to fill the shoes of what I can deduce are absentee adults, I suppose it’s up to me to give out what I have now. Ask away.”

Ladybug frowned, then looked back at her confused partner. Chat cleared his throat and spoke.

“So, then, what _do_ you know about the Amalgamates?”

Emil hummed somberly.

“They appeared about a year ago, in Eytoe. At first, it just looked like they were going around at random. Then, after the first time Ladybug and Chat Noir showed up and destroyed one of them, the attacks seemed to target them specifically. That’s also when they started to mutate into Akumas.”

Ladybug frowned, a hand on her chin.

“So the Amalgamates were around before Chat Noir and Ladybug were?”

“More like, the Amalgamates were active before Chat Noir and Ladybug started to fight against them. I can’t say for sure Ladybug and Chat Noir were not a thing before that. I even have some circumstantial evidences that they were around.” He shook his head. “Nothing conclusive, though. What matters is that the Amalgamates started to go against the two only _after_ they started to fight. Which makes me think the Amalgamate master went after them merely because they would oppose him and whatever plans he had with Amalgamates.”

Chat Noir gave a sharp look at his partner, and she lightly shook her head back. The heroes both knew the ‘villain’ had been after their powers, but giving out this information to a monster who had realized their abilities could be passed on might be a bad move.

“You said their ‘master’,” Ladybug noted, “so you know who it is, then?”

“Hawkmoth? Yeah, I do now.” He took out another egg, and started to roll in in his palms. “Ladybug and Chat Noir had been ahead of our investigation, though. We only found out after they destroyed his lab. He was a moth monster with a shady past. Unknown if he was human, or even if he survived the fire. For all we know, the new waves of Amalgamates could be from one of his followers, or he’s still alive. Either is a possibility right now.”

Ladybug nodded, looking down.

“So, you still have no idea of where to find him either, then?”

“Not as of yet. His lab was destroyed. That I can say. It was a government-affiliated laboratory, but no one seemed to have been aware of what he was doing.”

A thought crossed Ladybug’s mind, and she felt her heart race at the idea. Tikki was growing concerned in her mind, but Ladybug decided to go for it.

“A-are there other labs that have been destroyed this way that you know about?” When she met his surprised, but curious look, she continued. “Like… have you ever heard of the Miraculous lab?”

She heard Chat’s hiccup behind her, and she dared not turn, imagining Plagg’s anger. Her heart raced even faster when she saw the two Hunters’ reaction.

Emil’s egg fell on the ground and splatted messily. He and Allegra exchanged looks full of hidden meanings, before Emil sighed and massaged the back of his head, looking down at the broken egg.

“The Miraculous… _fluffbun_ …” He shook his head and looked up, his aura filled with a strange resignation. “I haven’t heard that name in a long time.”

“S-so you’ve heard about it?” Chat stood beside Ladybug, his ears perked up. “As a… as a Hunter?”

Emil made a noise of approval, but did not say anything more. Allegra stepped forward this time, her blue eyes filled with something that was hard to describe when she looked over the two heroes.

“The Miraculous lab was an illegal secret facility where soul experiment was happening. And it was destroyed by a rogue Hunter seven years ago.”

Something in her low tone made Ladybug’s inside grow cold. Within her, Tikki felt shocked, and confused.

She swallowed, clutching her hands together.

“Illegal soul experiment?” she asked softly.

“A _rogue_ Hunter?” Chat repeated louder, his brow furrowing. “Why? I-if it was illegal… then why were they-”

“He acted without the consensus of the Hunters, or of our superiors,” Allegra answered. She sounded calm, but her ear had a slight twitch. “There were no plans to dismantle the lab yet.”

“Old Félix always had a temper under all his pretense of calm,” Emil said, almost to himself as he shook his head. He sounded tired.

To Ladybug’s surprise, Chat made a strangled noise.

“ _F-Félix_?” he repeated.

“Yes,” Allegra confirmed, her eyes locking on Chat Noir. “Félix Cœurl. Have you perhaps heard of him?”

To his credit, Chat Noir managed to shake his head in denial, even as his aura filled with shock, but it was clear no one believed him. Ladybug turned to the two monsters with a frown.

“And what happened, then? Why did this Félix attack the lab? Where is he now?”

Allegra’s eyes bore into Ladybug before she answered.

“Félix was never seen again after his involvement with the Miraculous lab. No one is even certain _he_ was the one to burn it. Our only reason to think it was him is that he is the last confirmed agent to go in, and none of those involved in the illegal lab came back on the surface to tell the tale.” Allegra’s whiskers twitched and she looked down, her arms crossed. “As for why… no one can say for certain… but… maybe it had something to do with what happened with his brother.”

Ladybug squinted.

“His brother? Was he… involved as well?”

“As a fellow Hunter, yes,” Emil confirmed with a nod, still sounding like a part of his soul had just left him. “Gervais Cœurl. He was a good monster. His life was cut short, unfortunately. He fell down a little before Félix did… what he did.”

Ladybug was about to ask for more, but she felt Chat’s aura flaring beside her. Quickly, she reached for his hand. He gripped back tightly.

“There’s no evidence that what was happening at the lab had anything to do with Gervais’s death,” Allegra continued as Chat was calming down, “Gervais’s fall seemed accidental. However, it is possible that Félix saw something more into it.” She shrugged. “Whatever made him do it may not be related, but Félix was a passionate monster, so who can say for sure.”

“H-how would the lab be involved?” Ladybug asked, still massaging Chat’s hand softly. “W-were they looking for… test subjects, maybe? Y-you said it did soul experiments?”

Emil shrugged.

“The records we recovered showed no connections to Gervais. And I hadn’t seen anything linking the lab to disappearance cases at the time, but… it doesn’t mean much, really.” A wry smile spread on his lips. “Well, you’ve seen today how fast a monster kidnapping can go.”

Chat tensed at the same time she did. Ladybug gave the ball-headed monster an insistent look.

“And do you _know_ what made them target Adrien Agreste at all today? W-was it something his father did, or…”

She trailed off when Emil nodded with a chuckle.

“Oh, most definitely! Gabriel Agreste has been one of the most willful benefactors to the Hunters financially. He recently donated a large sum too. It’s no wonder he’s been targeted by human extremists.”

Ladybug’s shoulders sagged under this new information.

“S-so he… he’s in the _known_? About the Masquerade?”

“That’s a fact, yes. It’s no wonder he stays locked in his mansion all the times with all those crazies trying to shoot him down.” Emil frowned. “It’s a shame for his son, though. After what happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if the old bird doubled his security measures around the poor boy. That’s no way to live a life.”

Ladybug’s heart felt heavier when she thought of how Adrien must feel to live this way. Did Adrien know about humans? Would his father tell him? At the beginning of the school years, he had complained about the ‘pointless security measures’ his father kept putting around him. This pointed to him not knowing… right?

At the very least, this confirmed Gabriel Agreste was no criminal. Only a monster in the known, concerned for his son, and trying all he could to protect him from what he knew was a dangerous world. He may not have been the best father for Adrien, but he was _trying_ his best.

She smiled grimly. Sabrina; Chloé; and now, this. They were a painful reminder that the life she was living everyday was a mask. Poor Adrien was suffering of this, too.

But if his father was trying his best for him, then she should help too, should she not? She did not know how she would do it, but she knew she had to try herself. For her crush’s sake. She turned to Chat Noir, and saw him look at the ground, glowering. She massaged his shoulder. For Chat too, the mask was probably cracking. Worse than hers, because of his kind. Was Plagg enough of a confident?

Was Tikki enough to her, for that matter?

“Either way, Ladybug,” Emil said, bringing her attention back to him, “As far as Gabriel Agreste goes, you’ve most certainly won his favors when you saved his son.” He gave her a soft smile. “And you sure have gotten mine. I don’t know how the previous Ladybug was, but I do trust you, young Ladybug, as a protector of monsters. For now.” He huffed and shrugged. “I don’t know what’s going on with you, but if more humans start acting like you… maybe there’s hope for the future yet.”

Ladybug did not know how to answer him, aside from an acknowledging nod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with this story!
> 
> Next update on the 26th.


	24. Friends Indeed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this!

Marinette woke up with a gasp from a place filled with fire and smoke. She breathed in and out loudly, clutching her chest. Her dark room was a comforting sight, just as Tikki’s soft mental hold on her soul was.

‘ _Are you okay, Marinette?’_

She gulped and nodded, letting herself fall back on her pillow with a sigh.

‘ _You hadn’t had that one dream in a while…’_

She had not. But given the day she just had, Marinette was not surprised. If anything, the puzzle pieces were staring to fit in.

“… That dream came from you, didn’t it, Tikki?” she asked in a whisper, a hand reaching out to her pillow under her head. “It’s… like a memory. From a burning lab.”

Tikki took a while to answer.

‘ _I can’t say if you’re right or not. I don’t remember either of the labs that were destroyed.’_

Marinette closed her eyes and huffed. She turned to her left, eyes falling on the pictures that adorned her walls. She could not see them well in the dark, but they were of her classmates -mostly Adrien.

“If that’s the case, though,” she mumbled. “Maybe it’s a sign that your memories will return soon?”

‘ _Maybe.’_

Tikki sounded thoroughly unconvinced, prompting Marinette to scrunch up her nose.

“You know, you could at least pretend to be happy about it.”

‘ _Sorry, I_ am _happy, Marinette,’_ Tikki gave out a strange feeling before calming her emotions. ‘ _It’s just that I agree with Plagg that asking about the Miraculous lab to those Hunters was a bad idea. It could have led them to our trails. And if Hunters find who you really are, we won’t be able to protect your family.’_

Marinette suppressed a shiver. She already had received a scolding from Plagg addressing this. But now that her fear of having endangered her parents had dwindled, something else was apparent.

“You’re not telling me everything, are you?” she muttered softly, a hand caressing the photos. “You’re like Plagg. You keep secrets from us.”

‘ _I… I swear, Marinette, I’m not trying to keep you or Chat Noir in the dark. It’s just…’_ Tikki withdrew her presence some more. ‘ _It’s more like… impressions and feelings of things.’_

Unwilling to get into a fight with Tikki about this, Marinette breathed out and turned on her back.

“Well, can you tell me what impressions you get from a few things, then? Like about this ‘Félix’ monster? Because Chat Noir looked like he had some ideas.”

‘ _If he didn’t say anything to you about it, then it would be unwise of you to_ ask _, Marinette. Especially to me.’_

Marinette’s brow furrowed.

“He… was he the previous Chat Noir?” she guessed, feeling Tikki’s discomfort at her question. “That could be why Chat can’t talk about him with me. Just Like I can’t talk to him about Brigitte because it may lead him to my true identity.”

‘ _You know how important this is that you two keep this knowledge separate. Especially with Hawkmoth still around. Please, don’t ask me to confirm anything.’_

Marinette bit her lips, but kept silent. The previous Chat Noir, a Hunter? What would be the implications of this? A Hunter disappearing with a human. A Hunter falling for the enemy. Turning rogue. This was the sort of setups which made tragic romances like Boney and Clyde all the more memorable.

And of course, there was the matter of him burning down the lab Tikki was from. The implication that he did not start off as a proper partner to Brigitte. If he was a Hunter…

Her alarm clock blared and she flinched. With a groan, she shut it off and rose up from her under her sheets.

\--

“Girl, the least you can do is _pretend_ to watch it!”

Marinette’s antenna twitched, but she kept her large insectoid eyes on her current work; a piece for Juleka. It had taken a while for Marinette to understand the shy Burrower’s request for a jacket, but she was determined to honor it now that she had finished her Jagged-themed purse.

“I’ve seen it on your blog, Alya. Contrary to what you think, I _do_ watch what you post,” she answered, giving her fox friend a smirk.

Alya made her joy visible. Her ears went up and she scooped closer.

“So? So? What did you think? Pretty good for someone still in school, am I right?” She looked back at her phone screen with admiration. “It’s no small thanks to Ladybug, though! That monster is amazing, I’m telling you! Even better up close!”

Marinette consciously refrained from buzzing in pleasure at the compliments. Alya could be a bit much, especially when she came so close to the Amalgamates for a mere scoop, but she had the purest of soul.

“It was great.” Marinette left Juleka’s vest on her desk to turn to her friend fully and flash her a smile. “I’m especially glad that you’ve gotten an interview from her about the kidnapping attempt.”

So, _maybe_ Marinette felt guilty about using her friend to cover her absence up to her parents and was throwing her a bone. Favoritism? A little bit. But Alya’s effort deserved some rewards.

Alya nodded eagerly, a ‘yip’ sound barely escaping her lips as she clutched her phone.

“Oh fluffbun, yeah!” Her ears twitched and she scrutinized the video. “It’s too bad Chat Noir didn’t stay for it either. I swear, he’s been looking a bit weird those past few days. Like… less fun? I hope it’s nothing too big.”

Marinette’s smile thinned. She wriggled her four hands together. She _had_ noticed, of course. Chat seemed more distant now. Since she rejected his confession, or since they crossed paths with the Hunters. Maybe both. She had tried to address it as Ladybug, but it was a complicated thing to do. If she was the cause, this was hard to not seem insensitive. If the Hunters were the cause, then, it might relate to Félix, and they could not breach the subject for security reasons.

If it was a big enough change to impact his public persona, though, maybe she should be more direct.

“Anyway, I hope whatever is happening in between Ladybug and Chat Noir will be solved soon. Not much we can do now.” A little jingle went off from Alya’s phone and her eyes lit up. “ _And_ it looks like Nino is here to pick me up for that movie night! He’ll be outside the bakery soon.”

Marinette nodded and stood up.

“We’d better get ready to welcome him, then,” she moaned in envy. “ _Fluffbun_ , I wish _I_ could go to a movie night!”

Alya came closer to pat her shoulders comfortingly.

“It can’t be helped if your parents are still in ‘overprotective mode’,” she snickered. “Although, maybe if _someone_ had held off from sneaking away to doodle in the middle of Syrrup and hadn’t come home late, maybe they’d have loosened up a bit already.”

Marinette sent the fox an alarmed look.

“Alya! Not so loud! They’re downstairs!”

This brought a barking laugh out of Alya.

“Hey, chillax, girl! Your secret’s safe with me.” The fox walked in front of Marinette, a paw brushing her carapace. “You know, having a ‘rebellious streak’ isn’t so bad. I’m sure _Adrien_ would benefit from your influence. He’s movie-deprived too, after all.”

Marinette could not contain her buzzing this time. To her surprise, however, she found herself okay with it. Somehow, after saving him as Ladybug a few days before, she did not feel as though her feelings for him were as forbidden.

Perhaps it was from knowing he seemed to appreciate her as she truly looked like. Or perhaps it was Tikki’s suggestion that had wormed into her heart. If even a Hunter could fall in love… Adrien in comparison seemed so accessible.

“I hope Adrien’s father ends up loosening his hold on him,” she muttered, looking down at her hands. “The recent kidnapping attempt obviously made his attitude worse.”

“Yeah,” Alya agreed, sounding down. “I sure wouldn’t like to be in Adrien’s den, right now… although getting personally saved by Ladybug must’ve been incredible!” She looked at her phone with a fanged grin. “You know what? Maybe this _was_ a good sign! Ladybug saving him, I mean! It shows that Ladybug and Chat Noir are Syrrup’s protectors above all, not just from Amalgamates! And it means our town will get safer! Adrien’s dad would _have_ to relent on Adrien’s over-protection then!”

Marinette thought about it, then nodded.

“You know? It’s not that bad of an idea at all.”

“Right?” Alya giggled, then started typing on her phone. “I guess I’ll ask for his opinion.”

Marinette’s eyes widened.

“ _Now_?”

“Yep!” Alya gave her a mischievous grin. “What? Have I not told you?” She winked. “The boy is coming with Nino to drop him off. _And_ he promised me an exclusive interview about his time spent with Ladybug.”

Marinette felt all the air in her lungs go out. Her antenna vibrated wildly and she grasped Alya’s shoulders, scrutinizing her with intensity.

“We need to get down. Now.”

“Wha-”

“He. Must. Not. Come. Here.” Her eyes wandered on one of her many posters of Adrien’s model’s faces plastered on the walls of her bedroom, and her carapace flung open. “Not until _everything_ is cleaned up!”

To her credit, Alya took her friend’s distress very seriously, and nodded.

“He will not get pass the trapdoor today.” She turned and opened it. “Now, come on, girl. We should get down before they get here.”

Marinette followed with a large sigh of relief, her wings furiously buzzing.

\--

“Hey, Alya! Hey Marinette!” Adrien’s _melodious_ voice rose up before Marinette even spotted his luscious golden fur. She and Alya finished climbing down the stairs and met up with him.

Nino was sitting on Marinette’s living-room couch, a large plate of freshly-baked cookies on the small table in front of him.

“Hey, wassup, girls?” he greeted with a wink. He sent out a stream of extremely small bubbles, which Alya’s fire popped out. Adrien was standing up, carefully picking up a chocolatine from a food tray Sabine was carrying with a smile.

Marinette greeted Nino and Adrien back after Alya, feeling a bit disappointed from the lack of bullet greetings from Adrien. He had not tried greeting her this way again after his last attempt, and Marinette was still silently kicking herself for that.

Adrien popped a bite of the chocolatine in his mouth, and his eyes lit.

“This is delicious, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng! I’ve only ever tasted your goods when Marinette bring them to school, but I’m glad to have the occasion now!”

The cricket monster before him buzzed a chuckle.

“I appreciate the compliment, Adrien. As expected, our daughter has good taste… in friends,” Sabine finished with an amused smirk when Marinette started making alarmed faces behind Adrien. “Well, I have to go back down and help my husband with the bakery. I trust you kids to behave!”

Adrien blinked, but thankfully did not seem to catch on Sabine’s implication. Instead, he turned to Alya and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, I negotiated with my bodyguard so that he will pick me up in about twenty minutes, so I hope you’re fine if we make the interview quick, Alya.”

“Pshh, yeah! No worries!” The fox monster said, suddenly taking the cat by the arm and guiding them both on the couch where Nino sat. Alya went on Nino’s side, forcing him on one end of the couch, and leading Adrien to sit on her other side.

It left one empty spot for Marinette right beside Adrien. That conniving fox.

Adrien noticed when Marinette did not move from her spot and turned an inquisitive gaze on her.

“Marinette? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah, girl,” Alya added with a huge smirk, “is something wrong?”

Wings buzzing furiously under her carapace, she vehemently shook her head before gathering her courage. She clenched her fists and tensed her legs, ready for battle. She stomped her way to the couch.

She must have looked a bit intimidating, because Adrien flinched slightly when she sat down, her whole body bursting with barely contained energy.

“Um… you seem a bit… tense?”

She flashed him a smile, laughing nervously.

“Me? _Noo_! It’s the tea!”

His ears twitched and he cocked his head.

“The tea?”

“Yes! I mean, _no_! I haven’t.”

“You haven’t?”

“Gotten it. My tea,” she blurted out, feeling herself sweating from under her disguise before bringing her attention back to her buzzing wings. “It helps when I’m tense!” She gesticulated. “You know, with homework, and all! I get stressed. And I need tea!”

She finally successfully stopped her wings from buzzing. Adrien gave her an understanding nod.

“Ah, I see.” He made a move to stand up. “Maybe we should see if your mom hasn’t-”

“ _No_!” She grasped his arm, then instantly recoiled as if burned. “I mean, No! I’m fine! ‘Cause, you see…” She shot a wide look around and lunged for the cookie plate on the table. “Cookies help! Too! They’re… stress cookies! Very good for the heart!”

She laughed and almost instantly chomped on the cookie to prevent further embarrassment.

Fluffbun! She thought she had gotten better with her crush, but meeting him at her _home_ after having saved him as Ladybug? Definitely something else.

Thankfully, Adrien only seemed slightly surprised by her attitude, and he joined in with his own laughter easily.

“Well, I can definitely believe that,” he said as he took his own piece of cookie to eat. “I would eat your parents’ amazing food to feel calmer too!”

“And this is how my special interview on how it is to be saved by Ladybug gets turned into a commercial for the Tom and Sabine’s bakery,” Alya fake whispered to Nino, prompting a chuckle out of him.

Adrien scratched near his ear with a smile.

“Ah, sorry. We should get on with it.”

Alya rolled her eyes, but set up her recording.

“Well, I can understand the novelty of being carried away by Ladybug wearing off when confronted with great cooking.”

Adrien chuckled.

“Oh, trust me, Alya. This was an unforgettable experience.”

 _Unfurgettable_ , Marinette automatically corrected before grimacing and biting down further on her cookie. Now was not the time for this.

…His aura, though…

Marinette paid extra attention to not pry at it as she read his emotions. It was loaded, but not unpleasantly. A feeling of admiration and adoration as he recalled what had happened that day. A very certain kind of love for this heroine who had swooped in and saved him from mysterious monster assailants.

Marinette was surprised at the slight bitterness she felt that these feelings were not for her, before she shoved it back and swallow it like the cookie in her mouth. She was _not_ going to be so ridiculous as to being jealous of _herself_! Especially when said alternate self was such an unattainable celebrity.

“-And when she picked me up again was when the officers arrived. The attackers were gone by then.”

“Such a shame,” Alya said with a sigh, “I guess Ladybug was more concerned with your safety than securing her hold on them.” She tapped down on her screen to stop the recording. “Maybe if Chat Noir had been with her, they wouldn’t have gotten away.”

“Um, maybe,” Adrien replied, scratching his head as his eyes strayed on the cookies. “In truth, I’m just glad she was here for me at the time,” he declared with a smile, fishing out for another cookie.

Alya nodded, her eyes on her screen.

“Yeah, according to my sources, your kidnapping attempt was one of the biggest events either of them took part in, aside from the ‘Akumas’ and the ‘Amalgamates’. I’m still sort of surprised your father even let you go back to school after-”

Nino shoved an elbow lightly to her side, and she winced at her own callousness. Marinette noticed that Adrien seemed mostly lost in his own reflection, however.

“You know, it may sound a bit weird… but it didn’t take much convincing at all for him to let me stay in public school.”

“Whoa, seriously?” Nino blinked. “What. With all the extra security your old dad put around you, I expected you’d just bargained like crazy for him to let you out again!”

Adrien shrugged, seemingly nonchalantly, but his aura felt grey.

“Like I said. Maybe he mellowed out.”

“Mellowed out. Right,” Nino chuckled, taking a cookie and sending his friend a smile. “You have a pretty tough soul, dude, you know that? I know _I_ wouldn’t be able to stand the kind of pressure your dad is putting on you.” He started counting. “What with fencing, piano, astronomy-”

“It’s not that bad, Nino, really!” Adrien’s tone sounded jovial, but from his aura and the way he had glanced at Alya and her, Marinette had a feeling this was not a subject Adrien was comfortable in discussing with them yet. “When you’re born into it… you just get used to it.”

“Or you fall d- No, you’re right,” Nino cut himself, suddenly realizing his friend’s unease. “Sorry. You know more about this that I do. I know your old mon only wants what’s best for you.”

Adrien nodded.

“Yeah…”

He was staring at his cookie. Without eating it. Marinette frowned. Adrien was usually the one saying his father was just doing what was best for them. Today felt different. Like even Adrien had stopped believing in those words.

This made something unpleasant squirm inside Marinette. She reached for his hand as a supportive motion before she could even realize what she was doing. Adrien startled a bit, but he gripped her hand back before she had the time to pull out, and gave her a soft smile.

“Well, either way, I’m glad I’m able to spend some time with you guys,” he said warmly, meeting each of their gazes and raising a fist in the air. “And hopefully, we’ll get to do more things together after the concert-”

Alya slapped him on the head.

Nino gave out a hissing noise.

Marinette was left staring dumbly at the scene of Adrien massaging his head with a sheepish look while her two other friends were giving her nervous gazes.

She finally ventured on talking.

“Uh… a concert?”

Nino took his head in his hand. Alya sighed and gave Adrien a side glance.

“Well… it _was_ supposed to be a surprise. But yes. We’re going to a concert in a few days.”

“Um, yeah,” Adrien added, giving Alya nervous glances. “A Jagged Stone concert, actually.”

Marinette’s large bug eyes grew wider, and her antennas started to vibrate.

“Jagged Stone? As in, _The_ Jagged Stone?” Her favorite singer! “You’re going to see one of his concerts?”

To her surprise, they all snickered. Nino answered first.

“Um, yeah, no. _We_.” He gestured to all of them. “Are going to see a Jagged Stone concert. It’s on a very special occasion, after all.”

Marinette could not believe what she was hearing. A special occasion? A concert?

“I mean… I would love to, but…” She wriggled her hands together. “My parents are a bit… I mean, have you _asked_ them, because-”

Alya chortled.

“Well, duh! It’s the first thing we did when we got the idea! Obviously, they wouldn’t refuse!”

Marinette frowned.

“I mean, I don’t really see why-”

“Marinette,” Alya said, standing up, hands on her hips. “ _What’s_ happening in four days?”

“…In four days?”

“Tell me you didn’t forget, girl! Come on!” Alya walked in front of her and crouched, looking crossed in between laughing and sighing out in desperation. “A very important date in the life of a monster? When a certain someone is going from thirteen to fourteen years old?”

Marinette’s eyes widened. Her carapace flew open and she lunged at Alya to hug her, almost sending them both sprawling to the floor.

“Oh _Fluffbun_ tell me you did not just buy super-expensive tickets to go see my favorite singer just for my birthday Alya! Because that would just make you the _best_!”

Alya laughed triumphantly, patting her shoulder.

“Well, that’s because I _am_ the best!” She pulled out just enough for Marinette to see her glance at the two smiling boys still on the couch. “Well… I didn’t pull that off alone, though. Nino helped in convincing Adrien this would be a good idea to ask his father.”

Adrien nodded and pulled out shiny tickets from his pocket with a grin.

“And as it turns out, my father is expecting to work with Jagged Stone for his next costume. Since I’m a fan of Jagged myself, it was not that much of an issue to get me some extra tickets.” He cupped his hand near his mouth and winked. “And I think it helped when I mentioned the birthday girl was a talented aspiring designer to him. The one who won his hat design contest last year, to boot.”

It was a good thing that Marinette’s carapace was still spread open, because otherwise, her immense pleasure at being called ‘talented’ by _Adrien_ would have been all the more obvious. Marinette squealed in Alya’s arms, allowing herself to feel the treasured joy of her friends’ companionship. And forget for a moment about Hawkmoth, Tikki, Plagg and Chat.

Monsters were a blessing on this glorious Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	25. A Rocking Entry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

“Tickets, please.”

“Here.” Adrien handed the four tickets to the large cyclop monster smiling down at him. He gestured for his friends to follow and Marinette walked forward, her new Jagged Stone bag pressed on her chest as Alya’s hand was on her carapace.

“Girl, you can load down the stress meter,” Alya whispered near her antenna. “We’re in.”

“I know!” Marinette squealed. “We’re in to see a concert… with _Adrien_! Can you believe it?”

“Yep… though, that’s like the fourth time you’ve asked me that, so I can only assume you’re not doing it for my opinion,” the fox monster replied with a laugh.

“W-well, your opinion matters a lot to me!” Marinette retorted, almost glaring to hide her embarrassment. “Without you, Adrien wouldn’t even be here!”

“Well, it’s not like my dude was that hard to convince, you know?” Nino pipped in, making Marinette flinch. He scooped a hand over his mouth and muttered. “Honestly, when I mentioned your name, he almost jumped on the occasion.”

Marinette’s eyes widened.

“R-really?”

“Yep,” Nino said, exchanging complicit gazes with Alya at the other side of Marinette. “What can I say? The cat loves having fun with his favorite people.”

“F-fav…”

Alya burst out laughing when Marinette’s brain almost fried. The disguised human was only vaguely aware of her surroundings when Alya said something and ran ahead to Adrien.

Favorite. She was one of his _favorite_ people?

‘ _Why so surprised? He’s so nice with you all the time. He obviously appreciates you a lot.’_

 _But that’s a completely next level!_ Marinette put her hand on the side of her muzzle, trying to contain a buzzing sound. _Adrien’s nice to everyone! Even_ Chloé! _But me? A favorite person? That’s… oh, fluffbun!_

‘ _He spends a lot of time with you and Nino and Alya. You’re friends!’_

Before Marinette could think of a reply, Nino tapped her carapace lightly, bringing her back to the present. Nino chuckled at Marinette’s look before glancing at the food stand, where Adrien and Alya were checking the goods.

“You know you can chill, girl, right? We’ll make sure everything’s good on our best girl’s birthday.”

Marinette blinked and smiled softly.

“I know. Thanks a lot, Nino. It was really cool of you to make Adrien come with us.”

“Hey, like I said, the boy was more than willing!” The bubbly turtle’s smile thinned as he looked at Adrien. “But to be perfectly honest, I think he needed something like that too. My bro’s been pretty bothered by something lately. I think this whole ‘almost being kidnapped’ thing hit him more than he wants to admit it.”

Marinette frowned and looked at the cat model with a nod. She had suspected Adrien was down about something. To have Nino confirm it made sense.

“I hope things will be okay for him.”

“Yeah, well, ya know…” Nino cocked his head at Marinette and winked. “I think what my bro needs is some quality time with his friends!” He drew two finger guns at her. “So the best way to repay us? Have some great fun, little bug!”

Marinette only faltered for a bit before giggling and winking back.

This was not such a bad advice, was it? She needed to unload as well, after all. Even her night patrols with Chat Noir had grown sparser recently. In between this, and her lack of progress on the ring’s curse, some normality would do her good.

Not to mention spending time with _Adrien_!

‘ _Have you changed your mind, then?’_

Marinette stopped herself in the middle of a bite on her cookie, glancing away from the scene surrounded by the awaiting public.

_Have I changed my mind about what?_

‘ _About Adrien,’_ Tikki answered, ‘ _you seem particularly happy to spend time with him now.’_

Marinette’s eyes fell on Adrien, who was discussing with Nino while taking a bite off his spider donut. He had also ordered a bunch of incredibly stinky cheeses, but he had yet to touch those.

 _I am happy,_ Marinette said finally, clutching the guardrail and looking down again. _He’s my friend, after all._

‘ _But you’re still hoping for more, aren’t you?’_

She sighed.

_Tikki…_

‘ _He saw your true self and he appreciates you.’_

 _He saw Ladybug,_ Marinette corrected, one of her hands clenching her drink. _In costume. A hero of monsters. He didn’t see Marinette._

‘ _Marinette, you_ are _Ladybug.’_

Marinette frowned in frustration, because at this point, Tikki was doing it on purpose.

 _But I’m also Marinette the human. I’m Marinette the dust-eater, a monster predator._ Her mandibles quivered before she took a sip of her drink. _Loving Ladybug is easy. It’s the whole package that’s the issue._

Tikki seemed to ponder things for a bit.

‘ _Marinette,’_ she finally said, ‘ _you may be a dust-eater, but you are one in name only.’_

The human frowned.

_I don’t see what-_

‘ _You don’t need dust. And you won’t need dust for as long as I’m around. And I don’t plan on leaving you. In that circumstance, would Adrien loving you be so bad?’_

Marinette took what Tikki asked in before bursting into a giggle to herself.

 _Adrien doesn’t_ love _me! There’s no way he would!_

‘ _How can you be so sure? I remember you saying you thought you could make him see all your qualities if you tried.’_

 _Well, yeah, if I make an effort… and if I can get past this stuttering thing,_ she amended with an eye-roll. _I know I can be appealing… but that’s just it, you know? I can look like a pretty and kind monster._ She looked down at her drink. _But inside? Under all the magic? I’m a ‘pretty and kind’ human at best. I can’t manipulate Adrien to fall in love with monster-me in that situation._

‘ _Well, his father already know about humans, right? Adrien knowing wouldn’t be that-’_

 _Are you insane?_ Marinette hunched down, almost spilling her drink. _Adrien_ _cannot know! That’s just… his poor monster soul wouldn’t take it!_

‘ _But Nino said his soul was strong-’_

I _couldn’t take it_ , Marinette amended, mandible quivering as her eyes wandered on the scene where the last preparation for the concert was taking place. _I can’t take the idea that Adrien would need to go through what Chat Noir went through. It’s just…_ Marinette released a breath. _It’s just not right._

“Hey, are you alright?”

“ _Gah_!”

Adrien’s voice spooked Marinette out of her mental conversation. Her drink went flying into the crowd below, in spite of Adrien’s effort to catch it. It bonked on a shell-headed monster, who sent them both a glare. Marinette and Adrien made some nervous apologies before sliding away from the grumpy monster.

“Sorry I scared you,” Adrien said with a gentle smile. “I swear I didn’t mean to. You just seemed a bit preoccupied.”

Marinette blinked and her wings started to buzz slightly.

“Oh, um, yeah…” She gave him a wide grin and scratched the back of her head. “Just… thinking about things… like… commissions… and… things…”

His beautiful eyes looked for hers, and he nodded, leaning on the railroad with both of his arms.

“… Yeah. I noticed your new purse.” He gave the Jagged Stone bag an appreciative eye. “You made it yourself, right?” After her nod, his traits softened. “I imagine you’ve got a lot to think about,” he chuckled. “You may not have a complete schedule given to you by your parents, but you always seem to keep busy. In between your deputy class rep duties, all those commissions you’re doing, even things like the banner you made for Kim and Alix’s competition once?” He grinned at her. “Maybe I haven’t told you yet, but that’s something I’ve always found incredibly impressive about you, Marinette.”

_Shlak!_

Her carapace spread open. She immediately shut it down on her buzzing wings. The sensation was _not_ pleasant, but it was better than letting Adrien see her devolve into a zig-zaging hyper ladybug.

Adrien was impressed by her. _Adrien was impressed by her!_

‘ _He already called you amazing before…’_

“Shut u-I mean _thank you_ !” Marinette tried to calm her laugh. He was looking at her with those soft green eyes, and she swore she was about to explode. “You’re a fly! Too! I mean, _you’re fly_ . Not. An actual fly, ‘cause… you’re a cat.” Her antennas vibrated and she hunched down. “I’m probably more like a fly… except I’m not a fly- _I’m not saying you can’t be a fly too_ I just mean… urg!”

She slapped her forehead and Adrien burst into laughter.

“Thanks, Marinette.” He wiped a tear from his eye, and she finally calmed down enough to notice how warm his aura was. “It means a lot coming from you.”

She was surprised with herself for still being able to stand. Maybe it was the slight touch of sadness in his aura that brought her attention back to the present. It was not overtly powerful. More like a little sting on a perfectly smooth skin.

Adrien glanced down at the scene with a soft smile. The lights were beginning to dim out.

“Ah, it looks like it will start soon.”

Marinette nodded, then looked around, suddenly noticing the suspicious absence of her two other friends.

“Where are Alya and Nino?”

“They said they wanted to get more things to eat.” Adrien glanced around worriedly. “I hope they hurry up, or they might miss the beginning.”

Marinette’s mandibles clapped once. That was probably another setup by Alya. The fox just never gave up in her effort to give Marinette time alone with Adrien.

‘ _And do you regret this?’_

Instead of answering, Marinette walked and leaned on the railroad beside Adrien, her eyes set on his feline profile. He looked at ease. Calmer than he had been those past few days. There was a depth to his stare when he was looking down. A sort of understanding of the world that seemed to make him appreciate every part of it.

He had given her a look close to this one, more than a month past. When he had lent her his umbrella. His eyes, that day, were imprinted on Marinette’s memories like two summer fireflies in the darkness.

He finally noticed her staring, and looked down at her quizzically. She knew she should be feeling embarrassed. At that moment, however, something else was in her mind. She reached for his hand, like she had done a few days prior. He looked down in surprise when she touched him, but as with last time, he took it. Her wings started buzzing again, but she ignored them.

“It…” She swallowed, willing the words to get out of her throat. “It means a lot to me too. Your words. That you came. You mean a lot. To a lot of people.”

He stared at her. For a moment she almost shrunk down in embarrass. But he looked away before she could, and squeezed her hand with a short nod.

Maybe she was imagining the red under his furred cheeks.

But the warmth of his aura was definitely real. She felt it reach out to hers, and she tentatively let it in, like holding hands with a friend.

Marinette looked down at the scene that had just lit in the dark concert room. She was amazed at how at peace she felt when the draconic form of Jagged Stone entered the scene, his large mass taking up half the stage.

She never imagined feeling this way in her fantasies, when she was holding Adrien’s hand. The reality was much less triumphant trumpet sounds, and chorus of joy. Instead, it was like the calm water of the underground harbor, reflecting the golden lights of the cave in a silent appreciation of their beauty.

It was like belonging. Like it just _fit_.

“That perfume,” he spoke out loud, softly, “it suits you.”

She flinched at his words, her mandibles quivering.

“Y-you think so?”

“I do.” He squinted, then glanced at her direction, a curious glint in his eyes. “It’s… familiar.”

Her insides froze, but she forced a smile.

“I-I used it a lot. At school.”

And she probably still had that scent too. As Ladybug. That one time she held him in her arms. Did he notice? Remember?

This would be bad… right?

Still, Adrien seemed to accept it. After a nod, he turned his attention back to the scene. Marinette wondered why she felt ever so slightly disappointed.

‘… _Maybe Adrien already know about humans.’_

Marinette was not even certain Tikki was trying to tell her this, or if she was reflecting with herself. She blinked and pondered as the large purple dragon on the scene started giving out a speech she was miles away from being able to listen to. Soon, Adrien would release her hand, and they would both go on cheering on Jagged like every other monster around. And yet, she could not help but reflect on everything.

What if he knew? What if he knew and accepted her? Would that really work? A human and a monster?

Would it be like betraying Chat Noir if she tried to confess to Adrien? He who had confessed first, and whom she had rejected for that same reason? No. Why would it? Chat Noir knew she was in love with another. And Chat Noir had no inner right to her heart either, just as she had no inner right to Adrien’s.

… If he found out the truth, though… About Ladybug… What then?

If he fell for her… If Adrien fell for her for who she was… What then?

If even Marinette the human deserved to be loved, would it be so bad to be loved by Adrien?

Could she inflict this life on Adrien?

“I want to hear you scream now!” The purple dragon raised his large guitar up in the air, his fangs visibly glinting under the lights. “Are you ready to ROCK ON?”

“ _YEAH!_ ”

Marinette joined with the crowd, her loud cheers carrying her away from her thoughts to appreciate the moment. Her heart carrying a lightness it did not have in years. There was a swarm of possibilities open to her, and each of them would need to be reflected upon later. Now, though, all she wanted was to enjoy the present. With him.

This was when the lights went out around them, and terrifying echoing barks resonated through the concert room.

Marinette’s heart stopped. She felt Adrien’s paw on her arm. He jerked her away from the railroad. In total darkness, Marinette felt the whooshing of air in front of her. She heard the clinging of the metallic railroad bending down with a crack as an invisible mass of magic crashed into it.

It growled. As if an entire dog pack was barking in unison.

She screamed, but it drowned into everyone else’s panicked yells. She clutched Adrien’s paw still firmly locked on her arm. She caught the sparks of repressed magic bullets being swallowed by the unnatural darkness.

“HEY! WHAT GIVES?” Jagged’s loud voice rumbled from the scene below. “I never ordered edgy dog sounds!”

“Stay with me.” Adrien’s breath made her antenna flinch. “I’ll lead us away.”

He dragged her slowly through panicked packs of monsters and unearthly barks. It took her a moment to realize that Adrien could still see in the near total darkness thanks to his feline senses. Tikki sent out the specific magic knowledge to her confused brain, and Marinette focused on recreating a night vision for herself from the feline form she had once stolen from Chat Noir.

Soon, her new vision lit up the room into a green hue. She saw the fearful looks of the monsters cowering away from their unseen pursuers. She saw an unruly white mass of fair fur rise from beyond them.

A large dog head with perked ears turned toward them, its face replaced by a wide gaping hole.

Tikki screamed in Marinette’s head. The girl only understood why seconds later, when a memory that was not her own flashed into her mind.

A huge barking beast. Chasing relentlessly her partner and herself. An unbeatable tracker of their magical signatures.

Plagg had been wrong. The Amalgamate responsible for Brigitte’s death had not been dealt with.

It was still alive.

And now, it’s huge face opening was drawing air in, sniffing her position in the dark concert room.

She reached for one of her earrings.

‘ _Wait!’_ Tikki’s voice stopped her, ‘ _remember Chat Noir still cannot remove the ring! If you take the earrings off, it will head straight for him, and I don’t know if we’ll be able to lead it away then!’_

Marinette clenched her fist, but broke into a run, still held by Adrien. He gave her a surprised look at her sudden mobility, but neither slowed down when the dog-like beast went on a barking frenzy and ran toward Marinette.

“Look out!”

She was sent flying to the ground when Adrien tackled her. He hissed close to her antenna, and his whiskers brushed against her chitin. The Amalgamate dog splattered where she had just stood. Sparkles of magic arose from monsters rushing near. A large spider-like one sent out purple threads around the beast with a grunt.

“Hsss! THat’s a tough one!” They turned their multiple-eyed head to look at the crowd. “THose with the dark SSight, please guide the blind to the exit faSSt!” Securing the purple magic cocoon, they yelled to someone below: “Protect Jagged SStone at all coSSt!”

Monsters started to move around in hushed worried tones. Adrien finally got out from over Marinette with a wince. Ignoring the slight buzzing of her wings, she gave Adrien a concerned look as he was clutching his hind-paw.

“A-Adrien?”

“I’m okay,” he said, although his muzzle was wrinkling in the dark. “We’ve got to get you out of this darkness and find Alya and Nino. Come on!”

He took one of her hands, but she ended up pulling him up as much as he did. She put one of his arms over her carapace as they walked to the exit.

The dog Amalgamate let out a frustrated howl, but the cocoon was still keeping it secured as other security monsters joined the spider. When Adrien and Marinette rushed out of the room, they found themselves momentarily blinded by the outside light. The other monsters around rushed outside in a panicked wave, leaving them both to drag behind.

As she was supporting Adrien, Marinette’s brain went into overdrive. The Amalgamate had to be dealt with, whether the monsters inside succeeded in securing their hold on it or not, and she had to find a way to bring Adrien to safety and transform so that she could lure the fight away from here.

Plagg had said this Amalgamate was invulnerable to the Catastrophe move, though, did he not? How would they be able to get the DT out of it then?

“Marinette!”

“Adrien! Dude! Are you okay?”

Alya and Nino ran to them, throwing their new food on the ground. The fox stopped short of tackling Marinette while the bubbly turtle took Adrien’s arm off her.

“We’re both fine,” Adrien assured, grimacing at his hurt leg. “It’s not that bad, I think. I just need to-”

“We’ll bring you to your gorilla nanny!”

“Nino. It’s fine. I’ll just…” He licked his lips. “Need to use the bathroom. Get some water on it quick before I leave. You all can get out now, my guard will be here to pick me.”

“Dude, you know there is no way we’re leaving you anywhere alone here!”

“What’s going on?” Alya asked, eyes wide.

“Amalgamate,” Marinette answered grimly. “We should all leave.”

The quicker they were out, the faster she could run and change.

Alya’s frown furrowed, and she took out her phone. Nino grasped her arm with wide eyes.

“Girl. No.”

“I have a duty as a reporter, Nino,” Alya retorted, wrestling her arm away. “Ladybug and Chat Noir will be here any minute now.”

“Alya, the menace is contained now. There is no reason to-”

A deafening explosion interrupted Marinette, and something barged through the doors. Marinette saw in horror the white misty substance slowly reform into the dog amalgamate. Alya took her hand and all four of them started running through the corridors.

Marinette’s heart was beating hard in her chest. Her breathing grew shorter as the dog came closer. She bumped into the corner of a metallic shelf and was sent muzzle first sprawling onto the ground. She ignored the pain and stood up when Alya dragged her, and practically shoved her into the bathroom just as the Amalgamate galumphed past them.

Marinette breathed loudly and exchanged a look with all of her friends. Nino looked at them all nervously before pointing at a faucet.

“Hey, look, water! Adrien, how is your leg doing?”

“It’s… yeah.”

Adrien licked his lips and winced when his friend washed his leg with fresh water, his tail swinging. Marinette watched this and wondered if she could heal him without looking suspicious, until Alya opened the door again.

“Alya! Wait!” she hissed.

She made a move to take her hand, but the fox was already half out of the room and growling.

“You three stay in here. I’ll go get help.”

“Alya!”

Marinette ignored Nino and Adrien’s cries, too busy analyzing what was happening. She could not keep the earrings on if she stayed, because the dog would come for her magic signature. She also could not take the earrings off, because it would be Chat Noir who would be endangered.

There was only one option.

“I’ll go find Alya,” she claimed, running through the open door, “stay here and look out for Adrien!”

“Marinette!”

She closed the door behind her and, taking no chance at being followed, grabbed the shelf near the bathroom and sent it crashing in front of the door with a burst of magic. She saw the handle turn uselessly and ran to the opposite side of where the Amalgamate had stomped off.

She soon heard its large paws hitting the ground, but they slowed down and stopped. She looked back. Her eyes widened when she saw the Amalgamate sniffle near the bathroom’s door inquisitively. She sent sparkly bullets at its large head, prompting it to look in her direction. She waved her four hands up.

“Over here!”

The beast barked excitedly and rushed toward her. Marinette’s wings buzzed and she took flight. She carefully controlled her speed so that the dog would get close enough to keep its interest on her, and far enough that its large paws and gaping hole would not touch her. She had no idea where Chat Noir was, but as long as he was not around, she had to make sure she kept the attention of the Amalgamate.

The wind swiftly blew on her magically constructed muzzle. She took a sharp turn and barely avoided a collision with a bystander monster, not allowing herself to slow down and check if they were doing alright. She had to lead the Amalgamate some place isolated so she could transform. Preferably some place wide enough for her to move and fight.

When she spotted the doors leading up to the concert room, she sped through them.

She almost lost her flight momentum when she pushed the door and found herself face to face with a wide-eyed familiar horse-face. She cried out in surprise. A glowing lasso caught her feet and sent her to the ground with a skittering noise. She pushed on all four hands to look up and stare back in bafflement at the three monsters running around, specifically the horse-face.

His colors were different, but this was a bad paint job. The plant monster that had caught her made an annoyed gurgling sound.

“What’s up with all those kids running ‘round here? I swear!”

A red bulky monster close to the horse sighed and scratched near their horns.

“Do we even have time for this anymore? Let that one go.”

The hold on her leg was released, and she stumbled up fast, glancing around. The three monsters were the only ones left aside from herself in the room, and the roof seemed to have collapsed on itself near the scene. Debris were littering the ground below the empty seats.

The horse snorted and his nostrils flared up. He waved.

“Well? Scram, kid. We’ve got this.”

She nodded, but made no moves towards the door. She knew the horse was likely human. Meaning they might _all_ be humans. And soon the Amalgamate would arrive.

She could not let any of them be absorbed.

“…Bug, are you deaf? I said-”

_BOOM!_

“ _Fluffbun!_ ”

They sprawled on the ground when the dog Amalgamate burst through. Its large gaping hole slumbering near their faces. Marinette faked a cry of fear and sent another wave of bullets at the beast.

“Don’t hurt me!” she yelled, taking flight only when she got its attention. It almost nipped her feet before it burst into a smoke of dust and floated down.

“Holy…”

As the Amalgamate reformed below, Tikki spoke.

‘ _That’s how it made Catastrophe useless. It can reform through any sorts of breaking spells.’_

_How did Ladybug and Chat Noir plan to beat it the first time?_

‘ _Aphidel isn’t powerful enough to drain the DT from a magically shielded adversaries, but Chat knew of a place where a DT extractor could be found. I don’t know where, unfortunately…_ ’

Marinette’s mandibles quivered. It meant either hoping Plagg knew, or the four of them would need to find some other ways to defeat it. The three monsters did not leave the room, to her annoyance, and instead came closer.

“Holy dust, what luck!”

“Keep away, boys. The dog isn’t gonna go down easily.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. They were _after it_? Why? She could not let them get it! The Amalgamate could lead them right to Chat Noir and her!

She felt a strong magic impact her side and she flinched in surprise. She turned her attention back to the Amalgamate, and saw it shoot a heart-shaped bullet at her. She tried to avoid it, but it collided with her wing, making her crash down in a buzzing frenzy.

Her body hit the uneven parts of the crumbled roof, and her breath got cut out momentarily from the pain. She hazily struggled to get up, her lack of suit making her noticeably weaker. She heard the monsters’ battle cries and saw the flashes of magic as they waved through the Amalgamates swipes, diverting its attention away from Marinette.

Her hand slid on a debris and she fell on her carapace, pain aching in her every muscle, real and illusion alike. She tried to catch a glimpse of the fighting going around. Her eyes caught the feline form of her partner standing high up, through the roof; black against orange of the descending sun.

Her eyes lit up and she raised two hands at the opening. Chat Noir was _here_. Things would be okay.

The feline form up high kept watching. The monsters down kept fighting.

… Until a pair of large strong claws clasped around her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with the story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	26. Drag-On Rock-On

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this!

Marinette only regained her consciousness when the wind flew through her ears. She heard the beating of large wings.

“Blimey, I was only looking for my guitar! This is a wild ride, huh?”

Her eyes snapped open. A large scaly purple muzzle was crowding her vision. Teeth were glinting inside of it.

Marinette made a shrieking noise. It was… it could not be…

“J-Jagged Stone?”

“In the dust, girl!” the dragon answered, his massive paws hitting the rooftop of the concert as they landed. “Though I suppose I can tell you that’s also ‘in the flesh’, I suppose, given your appearance.”

Marinette blinked, felt her exposed human face and winced. She had dropped her concentration! She was lucky she had not done it in front of actual monsters…

… Hang on…

“Y-you’re…” She choked pointing at the large purple dragon. He nodded and she put both of her hands on her mouth. “All this time? But you’re so _big_!”

“Yeah, it’s not an easy appearance to keep all the time.” The dragon scratched his neck. “I usually do the big form for concert only. You’re lucky I was here to lift you up before anyone down there could notice-”

“Jagged Stone!”

The name was almost spat. Marinette and the dragon turned to look at the horse that had just climbed the roof. The dragon made a move to put himself in front of Marinette, but the horse caught her presence and snorted.

“A human kid, of course,” he grumbled, shaking his head. “That explains why it chased her all the way back here.”

The dragon’s wings spread and a growl escaped from his throat.

“What the… Elias, is that you? Why the _scale_ would someone like you be here? You’re not in the Watch anymore!”

“That doesn’t concern you, old lizard. You shouldn’t even be here. Don’t you have fans to take care of? Get out of here.”

“Hey! That’s my concert your demon pet just ruined!” The dragon roared back, his paws showing Marinette. “And you almost crushed one of my fans!”

The horse-face, ‘Elias’, sent Marinette a dirty look.

“Cover yourself, girl,” he ordered. Marinette called back her ladybug monster form with a squeak. Elias raised a finger at the dragon. “Listen here, Jagged, I don’t have time for any more messes today. You and the girl will get the hell out before-”

A scream echoed from under them, prompting all three humans to turn to the roof’s hole. Elias’s horse ears flattened.

“Gavroche! _Fluffbun_!”

A heavy dog powder burst out, clutching in its mist the struggling horned red monster. Elias screamed and formed his orange sword. Marinette felt Jagged’s long tail pushing her away.

“Get somewhere safe, girl! We’ll handle this.”

Marinette bolted. Her head was buzzing with many unanswered questions, but this could wait until she transformed and dealt with the threat. She spotted the entry point of the staircase leading down and barged through it.

Humans. All humans. _Jagged Stone_ was human.

And where was Chat Noir? Did he see her drop her form as well?

‘ _Marinette.’_

“Spots on”, she chanted, finally able to switch into her superhero persona. She breathed out, but did not rush out directly. If she came out where Marinette had just disappeared, there was a big chance she would compromise her identity to those shady humans. And that Elias kidnapper was the last person she should clue in on Ladybug’s civilian identity. She rushed down the stairs until she found a window and dropped out of it, wings buzzing.

She took the long way around, spinning her yo-yo in her hand. She saw the flash of orange followed by blue light and a wave of intense cold blasted her off the air. She hissed at the burning sensation and narrowly grazed a bird-shaped building before rising up once more, gazing at the scene below.

The concert hall’s roof was now covered with snow. A chilling wind seemed to twirl over it, like a mini tempest. And three human-shaped bodies were lying down, fallen.

Ladybug rushed down to them. Tikki’s magic kept her from feeling the intensity of the cold as she landed. She approached one of the bodies and checked for a pulse. When she heard the brown-skinned man in a green outfit groan under her, she went on to check the others. The fair-skinned man with the goatee and the pink dreadlocks batted his eyes open, and they locked on her.

“Ah… what the… Ladybug?”

She sighed. Well, this _sounded_ like Jagged Stone. And he was alive. It only left one body. She turned to the black and white-haired man. He looked quite younger than the other two, but there was no life aura coming from him, nor was there a pulse under her fingers.

The brown-skinned man rose up and cursed in the fallen man’s direction.

“Elias! What the hell did you do!”

Elias. The horse-faced kidnapper.

The man ran to the body. Ladybug stood up and took a few steps back. Jagged Stone walked in closer.

“Blimey, Gavroche… is he…”

“I can’t believe that guy,” Gavroche spat out, clutching the body with trembling hands. “Jumping in like that… I didn’t need to _owe_ that butt-head my life…”

That man, Gavroche. The one who hid under a red-horned monster.

“So, you three know each other?” Ladybug finally asked, eyes darting around. Gavroche squinted at her.

“Ladybug, ain’t it? You sure took your time.”

“I was occupied,” she replied, almost snapping a reply about not being as willing to help kidnappers before remembering her superhero-self would have had no way of knowing the dead man before her was the same horse-face she had fought days prior.

He was smaller than his horse illusion. She wondered if that had made it easier for her to fight him. Using magic to compensate for a lack of muscles was a given to her, but she really had to wonder if there was a limit to her suit’s physical enhancements.

“Can you two tell me what happened?” she finally asked, still on high alert for the Akuma.

Because, obviously, Elias had been absorbed. Yet another human with a less than stellar disposition had been the prey.

A part of her wondered if he was worth the trouble she and Chat Noir had with Chloé.

… Speaking of Chat, he was not around either…

Did it chase after him?

“It was crazy, Ladybug!” Jagged started, waving his hands. “I’m a rockstar, you see, Jagged Stone? Heard of me? Anyway-”

“The Amalgamate escaped from the Watch facilities,” Gavroche cut in, his fingers pushing on his glasses as he frowned at Ladybug. “We were sent to retrieve it.”

“… The Watch?” Ladybug repeated, crossing her arms. “Are you trying to tell me _you’re_ from the Watch?”

Gavroche shrugged at her unbelieving stare.

“We come in all sorts.”

“You seem to come in ‘criminal garbs’ to me.”

The man snorted.

“I don’t think you’re one to talk, miss terrorist.”

“Oy, Gavroche. Stop this,” Jagged came in between them. “No need to antagonize anyone! We gotta take care of Elias first.”

“Are you blind?” Gavroche glared at the musician, clenching the body. “Elias is _dead_! That idiot saved me from that thing, and now his soul has been taken! There’s nothing we can do for him!”

Jagged approached closer, mumbling something incoherent. Ladybug watched, feeling detached. She had never seen Jagged Stone as a human. She had never even _imagined_ the dragon as being one.

And now, he had saved her life, and he had connections with the man who had tried to hurt Adrien.

“Do you know what happened with the Akuma? Where did it go? What does it look like?”

Gavroche shook his head.

“S-some kind of dog with a skull-head. It just… poofed in the snow, so I don’t know where it went…” He looked up. “But I’m going to guess it’s gonna create more snow, so just head toward that, and you’ll find it. Just…”

He clenched a fist, giving her an intense gaze.

“Just kill it good. Make it pay.”

Ladybug almost nodded. She should be hurrying. For all she knew, Chat was being chased down. She tried to call him on her communicator, and received no answer. She grimaced. It made no sense! Chat had just been around! Maybe something interfered with their powers…

She looked down and hesitated. Doing what she thought of doing would complicate things. And she did not know where Chat was.

‘… _It’s the harder way. But it’s also the way a hero should take.’_

_Yeah… I know._

“… Well? What are you waiting for? Just go!”

She ignored Gavroche’s annoyance, and walked toward the two distraught men.

“I…” She swallowed, hesitating one last time before going for it. “I can bring Elias back to you. Alive.”

Both stared at her. Gavroche snorted and shook his head.

“Like hell, you can, girl! I know the limit of your powers.”

“You don’t,” she answered simply. “Even heard of Mayarchy? The last Akuma that attacked a school nearby? I did this for the human whose soul was absorbed. I can do it for this man as well.”

“Are you even for real?” Jagged asked, eyes wide with hope. “You can bring him back?”

Gavroche’s eyes narrowed.

“What’s the catch?”

“The catch is that I want the _truth_ about you. No more lies about being Watchers. You’ll tell me how you came in contact with that Amalgamate.”

Gavroche seemed to consider it, then, he pointed at her in a finger-gun motion.

“You get him back alive, and you’ll get the full story from me, bug.” Under his breath, he added: “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this.”

Ladybug came closer, took out one of her compact and put it on Elias’s body. With one charge spent, using the knowledge Sabrina shared with her on human biology, she stopped the corpse’s decay, at least temporarily.

“You’ll have to guard him. And I need more cooperation from the two of you.”

“What ya need?”

“I need some object belonging to this man. Something to which you know he has a strong emotional connection to, one way or another. I need it to anchor his soul and bring it back here.”

Gavroche seemed to consider it for a moment, before taking a fang attached to a collar from Elias’s neck.

“It’s from his dog,” Gavroche said as he handed the necklace to Ladybug, “the one thing he had after he lost everything.”

Ladybug gave one look at the object before putting in inside one of her compacts. She nodded and took off, following the cold air left by the Akuma’s trail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with the story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	27. Antipode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudo! Hope you enjoy this!

The night sky was covered with black clouds when Ladybug caught up with the pressing atmosphere of the Akuma’s aura. Chat had yet to answer any of her messages, leaving her a worried mess under her mask of impassiveness.

The Amalgamate the Akuma was from had been responsible for the death of Brigitte. The previous Chat Noir had been unsuccessful at dealing with it. Chat Noir’s most powerful move was ineffective against it. Chat Noir could be seriously endangered, or worse.

And right now, she was out alone, with two compact magic charges left at her disposal. To somehow take back Elias’s soul and recover the monsters absorbed by the Amalgamate’s body.

With no Catastrophe to help. With no partner.

‘ _You still have me. I’ll help you the best I can…’_

Ladybug sent a wave of gratefulness to Tikki before heading down to the wooded park. The white of the snow was blinding Ladybug out of her night vision, forcing her to dim it down as she buzzed over the trees. She spotted the iced-up pond, and the huge stone monument in front of it.

Her feet dug in the soft snow. She approached slowly, focusing on her aura reading rather than her other senses. The Akuma was surprisingly not hiding, even if it took a while for Ladybug to actually spot it.

She flinched when the dark stone moved. Or rather, something climbed around the carved statues. It slowly crawled up, its elongated clawed arms pulling it upward, and its dark fur shining silver under the small ambient light. There were two ‘thunk’ sounds when its hind hooves hit the top of the stone, and its pointed ears perked up when its skull-like face pointed at the sky. The fangs filing its muzzle looked worn, and inside its mouth, Ladybug could see two lights shining softly.

When it turned its head, she realized another face was masked by the skull. And the two glowing lights were its eyes. One glowed blue, the other orange. It flickered its wolf tail and spoke.

“I felt like coming here. My human soul has ties to this place. I think I like it. It’s peaceful.”

Its voice was hoarse. It still sounded like Elias, but without the haughty or annoyed undertone she had heard from him. Instead, it was soft, with a hint of sadness.

When Ladybug said nothing, the wolf creature continued.

“This pound. Down there.” It waved a clawed hand at the frozen water. “This is where my human dropped all the ashes the Watch gave him from his parents. They were killed by ‘cuckoo’ renegades who were looking for a monster family to replace. Unfortunately, they targeted another human family in hiding. It was a bloodbath. All my human soul had left was a dog as company when he became a Burrower. A dog, and an insatiable desire to strike against the world.”

The Akuma made an offhand dusting motion at the statue it was sitting on.

“It’s curious how this goes, you know? I have perfect knowledge of my human soul’s past. Yet, none of my monster parts remember much outside of their time at the lab, or when they got absorbed into me.” It flexed his claws, grabbing one of the carved statues. “I only know general things from them, like the fact that this monument was established after a flood that caused multiple monsters to fall down around those parts. You could bathe in dust, supposedly.”

It cocked its skull-head at her, and she felt its aura fill with light amusement.

“The other thing I get from them, is my frantic need to chase you and bring you to my creator, Ladybug.”

Ladybug’s hold on her yo-yo tightened.

“Where is Chat Noir?”

The beast huffed.

“I haven’t tracked that one in weeks. I’ve been on your trail since my release. Although, I did smell his magic close to you today.”

The knowledge that Chat Noir had not been caught calmed her slightly. Even though this did not clear up what had happened to her partner. The wolf-creature made a motion to slowly crawl back down the statue. Ladybug tensed again.

“So, then… what now?”

The creature laughed as it landed on all fours, standing up on two legs to tower over the large pound separating it from Ladybug.

“Now? … Hmm… I wonder. By all means, capturing you and the cat would quell my inner urges. But I honestly have no real interest in chasing you. _Hawkmoth_ is the one who has that wish. I’ve only been the collateral in your cat and mouse game.”

It made no further moves to get closer. Ladybug repressed the need to squirm under its bi-colored gaze.

“… Okay… so do you have any idea of what you want, then? Killing? Hurting people? Uhh… do you even have a name?”

It snickered before putting a claw under its jaw.

“A name… hmmm… I thought of a few…” He flicked a claw. “How does ‘Appolar’ sounds to you? You know, a mix of cold, and the old Apollo god?”

Ladybug just shrugged awkwardly. The Akuma huffed with a growl.

“Ah, I shouldn’t ask for advice from a little girl. I suppose ‘Appolar’ will do for now.”

“Well… “Appolar’…” Ladybug switched position and put her hands on her hips, still clutching her yo-yo. “Since you seem to be more interested in talking, I guess you’re not looking for a fight?”

“Smart kid. No.” Its tail twitched. “I have no interest in fighting you. Or anyone, for that matter. My human soul made me strong enough to be. It made me strong enough to have a form with substance. It made be strong enough to have a mind of my own, and the ability to use it. If people leave me alone, I’ll leave them alone in turn. The only thing preventing me from enjoying my freedom is Hawkmoth’s programming forcing me to bring you to him.”

She squinted at Appolar.

“And you don’t plan on doing that.”

It shrugged with a huff.

“It’s more like, I have a proposition for you. You and your kitten partner.” Its eyes glinted avidly. “I _know_ where Hawkmoth’s new laboratory is. I know his scent. I can bring you to him, and you two can fight it off. Is that not what you’re looking for?”

Ladybug blinked, dropping her stance in shock.

Finding Hawkmoth? Ending him once and for all?

Was that not what they had been aiming for all this time?

‘ _Plagg told us to wait!’_ Tikki’s voice chimed in.

Ladybug took a breath and started to shake her head.

“I-we-we’re not-”

“Ready?” Appolar completed, cocking its massive skull jaw. “I suppose maybe not. I smelled you. I know you’re different from my other Ladybug prey. Younger. Softer. Less experienced.” Its jaw opened further, as if to mimic a smile. “I can help with this as well. Training you. Toughening you up. So that your objective will be reached. So that Hawkmoth will be dealt with.”

Ladybug recoiled slightly at its excitement.

“… S-so then… you have no loyalty to him?”

“ _Loyalty_ ?” it repeated, barking a loud laugh. “This creature has done _nothing_ but torture my monster parts for months. A whole family molded into a killing machine from pain, for the sole purpose of catching two ‘heroes’ who tried to stop his crimes. Even my human soul can sympathize with a lost family of monsters being abused, and their need for _revenge_ .” It put a claw on its chest. “This is what I… what my human soul did to the murderers of his family, you know? He trained for years. He got into the Watch. Then, he tracked them. One by one. Not just the two who killed his parents. The _whole_ family.” Its hackle rose. “He had to leave the Watch after this, of course. But this? Revenge? It was worth it. We both lost something precious to Hawkmoth, haven’t we? We both have good reasons to make him _pay_.”

Her heart skipped a beat when it roared the last syllable. It then relaxed its stance and raised a clawed hand at her.

“We don’t have to fight each other, hero. I’m content to live the rest of my life freely, but if I can help you in getting rid of that being, I will.”

She stared at the extended hand, conflicted feelings swirling in her mind. She thought of her life free of the Amalgamates. Free of Hawkmoth’s threats. The attacks. The lack of sleep.

The fear of dying. The fear of death. The dust and the ashes.

‘ _Marinette…’_

 _It’s okay, Tikki_ , Marinette thought back softly. _It’s okay. I know._

She allowed herself to close her eyes. Taking a long breath in. And calming her aura. She then looked back at the being in front of her. Large. Scary. Imposing. Powerful. Filled with killing intent and LOVE.

A pitiful, broken being.

Hawkmoth’s doing.

She repressed her hatred from her unseen enemy, and brought forth her yo-yo. Sensing her decision, Appolar dropped its paw down and shook its head.

“… Really, hero?” Its skull jaw widened, displaying his orange and blue eyes fully. “You would take the chance of letting a beast like Hawkmoth roam free a while longer for the sake of refusing my offer? What?” He growled and laughed. “Am I not _trustworthy_ enough for you? Is that it?”

Slowly, Marinette shook her head. She took the yo-yo’s wire with slightly shaky hands.

“… You said you knew I wasn’t the first Ladybug, right?” She asked softly. “Did you know you were the one? The Amalgamate you. Did you know you were the one that finally did it?”

She felt the slight surprise in its powerful aura, before it dimmed into a contemplative acknowledgment. It nodded.

“I did not. But I suppose I should have realized.” It was almost compassionate when it switched stance, crouching down. “I was wrong, Ladybug. It looks like we have more in common than I realized.”

This time, Ladybug could not help but smile a bit.

“Not really. You were right the first time. Revenge has never been a motivation for me.” She materialized her wings. They started buzzing. “I have too much to lose. Too many people counting on me. If I let you go free, I’m risking their lives, as well as those of the ones you absorbed. I sympathize with you, but I can’t let your existence continue. I gave my word to Jagged Stone and Gavroche to bring Elias’s soul back.”

Appolar hunched further down.

“Then, die.”

It launched itself over the frozen pound and at Ladybug. She ducked away and rose in the air, aiming her spinning yo-yo at the Akuma.

“Really? I thought you were supposed to bring me alive.”

“Only because Hawkmoth has no idea you’re not the original Ladybug,” it answered with a snort, claws flexing underneath it. “I know your powers can be transferred. Whatever it is that gives you your powers, it has to be on your person. He’ll figure it out with your corpse.”

“Joy…”

“Well, on the bright side, I was looking for a round two.” Energy sparkled around its mane. “Or rather, round three, I suppose, counting the encounter my human soul had with you.” Its maw spread wide open as he roared. “ _To the death, Ladybug_!”

She clenched her teeth instead of answering, then sent her spinning yo-yo at it. It swiftly jumped to the side and sent out sparkles of blue ice-spikes at her. She spun her yo-yo and blocked some, but a few avoided the spinning shield and grazed her legs.

The Akuma launched up. Its orange eye flashed and a jet of flame erupted from its mouth. Ladybug’s eyes widened. She remembered to move just as the flame engulfed her. It did not hurt, to her surprise. But the ice-shard bullets she ran into did. She hissed at the diffused pain.

Appolar caught her feet and froze it up. It sent her to the ground. Her body slammed through the snow. She blindly launched her yo-yo at the Akuma, forcing it to step away, and she rolled up, clenching her iced-up leg.

“You’re polyvalent, I see,” she quipped as a distraction. Its bi-colored eyes glinted.

“I never said my specialty was just cold.” It flexed a clawed hand. “And you were already aware my human soul could use orange magic.”

Chat Noir would have had at least ten temperature-related puns ready. All Ladybug could think of was how to not get horribly maimed by the wolf’s next move. He spit out flames at her and she rolled out of the way. Then, light blue ice-shards coursed through the air and she froze from uncertainty.

Her heart skipped a bit when they passed through her and left her unarmed.

“I see… so it’s the opposite!” she realized, still dragging her iced up leg. “You stop when it’s blue, and you run when it’s orange!”

“Clever girl.” The Akuma started to prowl forward, sparks of orange and blue magic forming around it. “Not that it will save you!”

The magic bullets flew at her, and this time, she was prepared. She spun her yo-yo to form a shield and jumped up on her frozen leg. She kept her movements constant as the blue sparks were destroyed by her spinning shield. The orange ones passed harmlessly through her moving body, except those touching her frozen legs, which burst in flames, melting the ice.

When freed, Ladybug took flight once more, over a lunging Akuma. She zoomed through the trees, trying to find a good angle to take on her adversary.

“Are you running away, bug?” it called out after her. “How heroic of you! I expected better after that speech!”

She ignored the jeers and settled on a tree, hiding her aura as much as she could. She heard the stomping of Appolar’s feet through the snow, and readied her yo-yo.

The Akuma’s footsteps suddenly stopped. Ladybug stayed frozen and alert...until a wave of killing intent crashed into her aura. She felt intense pain when her head hit the wood of the tree and Appolar came down on her with a howl. The branch snapped under her and she was shoved head first into the snowy ground.

It was holding her by the neck as she was gritting her teeth inside the snow. It barked a laugh.

“Were you planning an ambush? On me? Come on, little girl. How could you forget I have your scent?” She felt its cold hand freezing her legs with each other as he pulled her up. “You cannot hide from me.”

Their eyes met. She tried to swing a punch at it, but it caught her by the wrist, and took its hand from her neck to hold her other free hand. She snapped her teeth at its neck, burying her mouth into its large dark mane with little effect. It laughed, then froze her wrists together, sending her on the ground with a mouth full of fur strands.

“Pathetic. Although, I suppose it was a given.” It picked up her struggling body and quickly froze her mouth, making her almost choke as her wide eyes looked at him. “You are merely a copy, after all.”

It flung her over its large shoulder and started to walk off. She tried to concentrate her magic over the diffuse pain of the frostbites, but all she could achieve was a few sparkles of harmless bullets. When she realized where the Akuma was leading her, she struggled with more fervently, and succeeded only in swallowing some fur strands stuck in her frozen mouth.

“I suppose I could bring you to Hawkmoth alive, after all,” Appolar mused as they left the forest to the center of the park, and the monument. “But that doesn’t feel right. He doesn’t need another soul to torture. And I promised you a fight to the death.”

It took her off its shoulder and dangled her by the wrists above the frozen pond. She stared at him in fear, unable to scream.

Its smiling skull was covering its eyes.

“Don’t feel bad, little girl. We are years apart in terms of experience. It was fated to be.”

Her eyes caught the feline silhouette landing behind the Akuma and she almost screamed in joy.

“Farewell.”

She saw the glinting blue eyes surrounded by black fur. Her heart dropped at the same moment her body did.

Not Chat.

She broke through the ice, and the impact with the freezing water almost made her lose all of her air. She tried not to think of her stinging nostrils as she struggled. The weight of her iced-up body was dragging her down to her death. She could already feel the pain in her lungs and it had barely been a few seconds.

She was trapped. She was alone.

This was not Chat.

‘ _Marinette!’_

She concentrated on Tikki’s worried voice. The only thing she had left in this world of darkness.

_Tikki. I’m so sorry…._

‘ _Marinette, don’t give up! You still have my magic! Even without access to spells! You need to use it!’_

_Can’t… breath… can’t… lungs…_

‘ _I-I’m trying to remember how Brigitte used to make gills… I… I-I don’t know what else to do! Marinette! Please, don’t give up either!’_

 _Tried to_ , she thought back vaguely, feeling her consciousness fade as the cold was engulfing her. _Tried to bite dust off it… only got fur…_

‘ _The fur… The fur!’_ She felt Tikki’s magic spread inside of her. ‘ _I… I might be able to get something from the fur! I-it’s still dust! It still has some magic… if only I…’_

Marinette felt something warm engulf her soul. Like the orange flame of a hot oven. Like Alya’s beautiful aura when she rushed into danger.

‘ _Marinette, don’t give up! Stay strong! Stay_ brave _!’_

Brave… she needed to be brave.

For Alya.

For Chat.

For maman and papa.

For Nino and Adrien.

She felt the weight on her feet and wrists vanish. She felt the ice blocking her mouth pass through her orange glowing aura and she almost bit her lips when she closed her freed jaw. She felt her lungs burn as she finally successfully called out her wings and buzzed up, flowing through the water, suddenly warm around her.

She burst through the surface, filling her lungs with air and water, coughing and aching.

But alive.

She soared as far up high as she could, clenching her throat as she tried to locate her foe.

The wind around her was hot and steamy. When she looked down, she saw the snow that used to surround the pond had completely melted. At the center of the park, Appolar was howling in rage, sending out bursts of orange flame bullets all around.

“Stop hiding from me!” it roared at some unseen foes, its skull-head looking from left to right. “Fight me like a man, you coward!”

The Akuma had yet to see her, it seemed. And someone had distracted it. Her thoughts went to the ‘not Chat Noir’ figure and she swallowed. Whoever had intervened had given her the time needed to think. She could not waste this opportunity.

How could she disable Appolar long enough to get its human soul back? How could she get close enough to even do this with his ice and fire powers?

Her eyes scanned her surroundings. First, the park. Then, the town around. Her eyes fixed on a familiar imposing monument and she licked her lips. That might work. But she still had to lure it over there without getting caught. And she had to conserve her magic charges for the soul binding and the purification if she wanted to survive. She could not detransform around something that would track her down.

Her mind flashed on something. She opened one of her compacts while she materialized another yo-yo and started to spin it. The Akuma’s ears flicked at the noise, and it turned its head to her. When it spotted her flying high, it growled.

“So, you got out, I see.” It crouched, letting orange and blue magic materialize again around it. “Just as well. I need to unload my frustration on something.”

Ladybug said nothing. She put her spinning yo-yo in front of her as a shield, and flew down. The blue bullets crashed into her shield while the orange ones passed through her moving form harmlessly. The Akuma flinched at her approach. She quickly tied the object she had fished from her compact to her yo-yo and sent it straight at the wolf-creature.

Appolar swiped its claws to deflect the yo-yo.

It hit the perfume bottle tied to it.

Rose’s fragrance sample shattered on the spot, and its concentrated liquid splashed over the Akuma, who roared in disgust.

“AARG! WHAT IS THIS!” It grabbed its skull, uselessly clawing at nostrils that were not there, trying to get the intense smell off its senses. It turned its open jaw to Ladybug in frustration. “YOU!”

She forced a smirk.

“Thank you for that bath, but I honestly think you needed it more. I figured this would help cover the smell a bit. Just a sample, so it’s free.”

“I’ll KILL YOU!” it roared back, its whole body trembling and burning orange.

“Nice sentiment,” she quipped, her wings already taking her away. “But you’ll need to catch up first!”

She did not turn back after its howl, already speeding up to her destination. She was pretty sure the Akuma would be able to get over the fragrance eventually long enough to catch her magic trail, but she only needed time to set the stage. She flew down the great Syrrup Tree, flying through its roots. Ladybug swung her yo-yo and tied it into an intricate web through the root system, flying to the deepest center, under the syrup chamber.

She was standing right in the middle of it all, glowing with an orange light, when the Akuma arrived. It looked at her intricate web and laughed.

“Really? Do you think this will save you?” Its body glowed in an orange light. “You cannot stop me with magic, girl.”

It sent out flames, which passed harmlessly through Ladybug’s orange aura. Seeing this, the Akuma snarled and jumped through her orange yo-yo string, landing just in time to change its magic to a cold light blue.

Once the Akuma was inside the web, Ladybug pulled on her yo-yo’s string.

The roots cracked. Two weaker ones broke under the magic string’s pressure. This was enough.

The entire syrup basin splattered on the Akuma. Ladybug flew up as the beast’s cries were muffled. It tried to burn through the substance and only succeeded in heating it up. It tried to turn its form to mist without success. It unleashed a wave of cold around it, and screamed in agony when the substance encased itself around it, trapping it like a mosquito in a drop of amber.

Ladybug watched Appolar lose all life inside its golden crystal bubble, still catching her breath. When it stopped moving, she allowed her shoulders to sag down.

This was it. She had done it. Maybe.

She still needed to get Elias’s soul out…if it could even be saved at this point. Was the Akuma even alive?

‘ _It’s made of magic, so it can survive without breathing for a long time,’_ Tikki reassured, ‘ _But we have to hurry still.’_

__

Ladybug nodded, flying to the Akuma and caressing its prison, surrounded by wasted syrup.

“I think the soul is likely to be inside its skull,” she reasoned in a mutter, “but how do I get to it without a Catastrophe?”

‘ _I’m not sure. But my magic is available either way.’_

Ladybug frowned until an idea came to her. She pushed the amber prison, enough to make it swing like a rocket chair. She then concentrated the orange magic Tikki had synthesized through her wrist and she lunged at the skull.

She felt the being’s attempt at a resistance when her arms went through the moving skull and she called upon the human soul inside, but it was powerless in stopping her from dragging it out. Once it was out of the amber prison, still attached to the skull by tendrils of magic, the soul reverted to its original cold blue.

“I’m surprised it’s not orange,” Ladybug confessed as the floating heart glowed, trembling under her magic hold.

‘ _This man learned to go against his nature. Becoming fire over ice. But I suppose Patience is a virtue the soul needed for revenge.’_

Human virtues could be so easily twisted. She opened her compact and took out the dog fang on a necklace, staring at it. Love could be a drive for such a thing as well. A lost love could twist a man into a devil. She had a passing thought about her own love for all the people around her, and she shuddered.

Love was powerful. But it could easily be turned into LOVE.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Akuma was loosely-based on the [Thrill of the Hunt comic](https://www.deviantart.com/ipku/art/Thrill-of-the-Hunt-Prologue-603524687/) by Ipku.
> 
> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for helping me with this!
> 
> Next update on Monday.


	28. Where One’s Loyalty Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your kudos and comments! Hope you enjoy this!
> 
> (slight warning for those with emetophobia in this chapter, though no graphic description)

Getting the soul to bind to the fang collar, and casting the Aphidel/Miracle Cure was not too difficult, thankfully. Marinette was torn in between relief and disappointment to see that Alya was not among the (surprisingly few) monster victims that the Amalgamate had absorbed.

The original dog family was laying in dust under a swarm of syrup, but there was unfortunately not much Ladybug could do about them. She had to change back and refill before performing the ‘soul insertion’ on Elias’s body.

Marinette was chewing on her reserve spider donut as she rushed to the concert hall. The whole fight must have taken about an hour, meaning the hall was likely invaded by both human and monster authorities by now. Hopefully, she would find where Gavroche hid Elias. When she ate enough for another transformation, she instantly changed and flew up to the building.

The roof was deserted, but when she got close, violet sparkles of light were sent from a window. She flew to it and saw a punk lizard watching her move closer with wary eyes. The punk lizard seemed to speak with someone, and a purple dragon face peeked from the window, signaling her to come closer.

Ladybug was let through the open window by the punk lizard. The purple dragon nodded.

“Thank you for watching out for her, Penny,” Jagged spoke before looking down at the red-clad heroine. “I’m glad you’re back, Ladybug.”

Ladybug nodded. The lizard closed the windows and instantly dropped their appearance to reveal a purple-haired human woman with a wary gaze. Jagged dropped his monster appearance as well and gestured to the back of the room.

“It took a bit of convincing to get the authorities to butt out of my sleeping quarters, but being famous has its perks.” He walked to a curtain and opened it, revealing Elias’s body lying on a bed, and Gavroche leaning near a closed window, chewing on something. When he met her gaze, Gavroche pushed back his glasses.

“You got his soul?”

She pulled the fang collar out. He watched her, unimpressed.

“I guess we’ll see if you told the truth.”

She did not wait for his approval. Instead, she headed straight for Elias, ignoring Gavroche’s flinching. She called upon the knowledge she gained from her studies with Sabrina, wrinkling her nose at a moment of indecision.

“If someone has knowledge of slime transformation magic, it would be appreciated as an assist.”

Jagged approached holding her hand. She felt the exact moment when his dust reserve was depleted, but she had accomplished her goal. Elias twitched up with a gasp.

Then, he promptly vomited on the bed.

“Gah, fluffbun, man!” Jagged exclaimed, recoiling. “Mind the furniture!”

“Oh my god…” Elias coughed up more vomit before he could say anything else. Gavroche came close to lift up his white and black hair.

“Hey, man,” Gavroche spoke, his voice much softer than before. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

Ladybug stepped away from the smelly mess, and watched as Elias’s trembling calmed, and his breathing steadied. He looked up at Gavroche. Then, his eyes strayed on Jagged. And finally Ladybug.

As soon as his eyes met hers, a curse escaped from his lips. He clutched his head.

“Oh. God. Why is _she_ here? What the hell happened? Where’s the dog?”

Gavroche patted his back.

“Bad news, man: _you_ were the dog.”

Elias’s eyes widened.

“What? That’s ridiculous! I’d have to be…”

He trailed off, a hand on his chest. Jagged came closer, walking around the vomit.

“Um… yeah, you’ve been missing a bit of your soul, there.” He gestured to Ladybug. “That one over there saved your life. From being soulless and dead.”

Elias’s eyes snapped on Ladybug, with a flabbergasted look.

“You… how…” He frowned. “ _Why_?”

Ladybug squirmed under his gaze. But only for a moment, before her tiredness took over, and she shook her head, hands on her hips.

“Because that’s what hero-protectors of the town do. They save people.”

He squinted further.

“I’m not one of your monsters.”

“You know I’m not either.”

“Yeah, man, let’s cut the lady some slack here,” Jagged intervened, pointing at Elias. “We’ve all risked our skins to keep you safe through this. The least you can do is lay off the twenty questions.”

Elias glowered at Jagged.

“You shouldn’t have risked your skin for me either. You know I’m not worth it.”

“Blimey if I do, yet you keep stumbling into my life anyways. Thank you, Penny,” he told the woman who had just brought a glass of water. He practically shoved it into Elias’s hand as he continued. “In either case, there are people who care for your sorry butt, and who will risk their living conditions for you. It’s how it is, mate.”

Elias stared at the glass of water as if it had murdered his teddy bear, then gulped it down in one go.

“Humans are disgustingly stupid,” he complained after wiping his mouth with his hand. Gavroche slapped the back of his head.

“Ye’re right, but it’s not polite to say it.” Gavroche then turned to Ladybug, and crossed his arms. “Alright. A deal’s a deal. You did the impossible, so now, I’ll tell you all about the Amalgamate.”

Elias’s eyes widened.

“Are you mad? This is our livelihood at stake here!”

“And less than three minutes ago, you had no life to speak of, idiot,” Gavroche snapped back. He turned back to Ladybug, his tone turning more serious. “Where do you want to start?”

Ladybug shrugged.

“The beginning sounds good.”

Gavroche chuckled.

“Alright. Not sure which, though. The Amalgamate mission, or the three of us?”

Ladybug hesitated slightly before nodding.

“I’m more interested in the Amalgamate part. But I’m curious on how a rockstar like Jagged got roped in with you two.”

Jagged looked at the two of them, then crossed his arms.

“Well, we’ve grown up around the same part of town, you know? Me dad was a ship captain; Gavroche and Elias worked with me until we got old enough to decide on what to do with our lives.” He shrugged. “I knew I didn’t want to stay in that underground mess. Thankfully, I found the power of rock to become a successful star on the surface!” He made hand signals and flashed a smile at the purple haired woman. “And I couldn’t do it without Penny, of course!”

“Like he says,” Gavroche added, crossing his own arms. “Jagged doesn’t know about most of our shticks. You can cross him out of whatever investigations you hope to make.”

Ladybug nodded. She already figured Jagged was mostly out of whatever things the two others were doing from the way they interacted.

“Now, as far as the two of us…” Gavroche gave a look at Elias, who glowered back. “We started on similar goals. Getting into the Watch. It’s a good way to gain access to the surface if you’re poor.” He took a moment to spit whatever he was chewing in the trash. “I just wanted a comfier life. But Elias did… some pretty crazy stuff… and I covered for him. So we got on the run.”

“If you’re waiting for an apology, you can still wait,” Elias warned, glaring at Gavroche, who just lightly slapped his head again.

“Yeah, I get it. You’re tough. Anyways…” he turned back to Ladybug. “It was my decision then to sacrifice my comfy position at the Watch for a moron. Just as it was my decision to work for Hawkmoth.”

Ladybug felt the heat drain away from her face.

“Hawkmoth? …. You worked for _Hawkmoth_?”

Both humans had the decency to wince when she raised her tone.

“In our defense, we didn’t know at the time,” Gavroche said, massaging the back of his head. “That he was the one behind the white beasts’ attacks, I mean. But it became obvious after a while. Like how he was asking for us to smuggle out fallen down monsters from the health centers to some private laboratory. At first, we figured it was another one of those illegal dust collectors… but then, those white ‘amalgamate’ creeps started to appear on the streets. And Elias caught a glimpse of those in the lab. After that, we kinda tried to spread the word on where this lab was quietly all the while trying to disappear.”

“But Hawkmoth is holding us,” Elias interrupted with a growl.

“We don’t know that-”

“He’s _everywhere_ .” Elias raised a hand up. “I thought this was some weird coincidence at first that another of our odd jobs had been to steal this Amalgamate dog creep from the Watch. I thought this was another rich moron getting high on danger hormones, but you can’t tell me you don’t feel his presence everywhere in the black market. How would our client _know_ how to calm the stupid dog if he didn’t build it? Why would he make us take it through the town for days if not to bait you heroes? Hell, I bet even kidnapping that Agreste kid was to drag the bug out.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened.

“The kidnapping Ad-Agreste? You think Hawkmoth is the one who did it?”

“Yeah,” Elias said lowly. “We’ve got a… well… _I t_ ook a request for kidnapping some model monster kid and bring him to a shady part of the big park. I took the job ‘cause I thought it was a nice change from that dumb dog job… but then, there was some familiarity in the way things operated.” He shuddered. “And when we failed our job, the contact’s parting words implied I had to ‘pay some debt’ by keeping a watch on the Amalgamate.”

Hearing this, Ladybug swallowed.

“A-and you said it was a ‘nice change’? Kidnapping?”

“It’s just easier, usually.” He shrugged. “The specific targeting and the fact that we had the instruction to be spotted was unusual, though.”

“That kid was special. I’m still not sure what this was about,” Gavroche agreed with a nod. Elias snorted.

“I certainly wouldn’t have given him the Agreste monster if I figured it out the orders came from that guy. I’d just toss him to be dust-smuggled underground or something.”

“Yeah. Speaking of, Claude left with the fox.”

“Really? I bet he won’t share the profit, that as-”

“The fox?” Ladybug grabbed Gavroche by the collar, eyes wide. “ _What_ ‘fox’?”

Gavroche raised an eyebrow, but answered.

“Just some kid snooping around while we were working on taking the dog back. Had a camera on their phone, so we had figured it’d be best to-”

“Where is she?”

Part of Ladybug knew she should not lose her cool in front of criminals like them, but her brain was working on overdrive. Because, oh, god. Oh no. It could _not_ be-

“‘She’, huh?”

“ _Answer me_!” Ladybug ordered, shoving Gavroche against the wall. Jagged’s outraged voice rose up behind her.

“Wow, wait a minute, mate! Did you actually kidnap one of my fans to _sell_ her?”

“Any monster who spotted a human is a threat to the Masquerade and must be disposed of,” Gavroche answered nonchalantly. “You know the drill.”

Ladybug’s fists clenched.

“Is she still alive?”

“At this point in time, probably. There’s an auction in about two hours, though, so-”

“Where is she?”

Elias barked out a laugh. He smiled nastily at her.

“Really, girl? You’re going to compromise humanity for one measly monster? Such a noble, heroic thing to do!”

She pushed Gavroche further and glared at Elias.

“I thought I was a terrorist?” she retorted before staring intently at Gavroche. “I need you to tell me where the fox is.” She materialized her yo-yo and gave it a spin. “I need you to tell me before either of you have to deal with mending broken bones.”

Gavroche looked at her intensely through his glasses, but there was no challenge in his eyes.

“… You’re aware of which side you’re taking, here. Don’t you?”

Ladybug’s eyes narrowed. She knew perfectly well which side she was taking.

She was taking the side of her friend.

Of Alya, who was endangered because of those _damn_ Amalgamates, and her _damn_ heroic persona.

She was taking the side of responsibility.

That’s what she told herself when she took off from Jagged Stone’s flat and flew to the Burrows.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on September the 2nd.


	29. The Exposed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudoing and commenting! Hope you enjoy this!

The air of this part of the cavern was cold and sparsely lit. Hooded men and women were loading heavy bags. Some cages around were rattling. Barks, mewls, and clucks were coming out of them. It was a little menagerie, hiding the true prizes the smugglers were counting on for the big bucks.

It was ‘Lotus’ who was witnessing this, a large scarf and a hat covering her face as much as it could. Even if the person Marinette was walking around as did not really ‘exist’, she was not keen on risking being recognized. Chat’s human identity had been walking beside her too many times before.

Chat… She still had not successfully reached him. She had left a message telling him about Alya. But she had decided against communicating the coordinates of the illegal auction Gavroche had given her. Chat Noir heading off into the Burrow alone was the last thing she wanted to add to the list of terrible things that had happened today. In between this and not knowing where her partner was, nothing had gone well.

… Oh, yeah, and it was still her birthday, too. It was hard to remember with all this happening around her.

‘Happy fourteenth birthday, Marinette! Hope you don’t mind your best friend being turned into a pile of dust!’

‘ _There’s still time, Marinette,’_ Tikki’s voice tried to soothe her, even if the earrings’ spirit sounded tense herself. ‘ _I think I see her!’_

Marinette saw her as well. Two orange bushy tails, their fur strands passing through the tight bars of the cages. Then, a pair of frightened amber eyes.

Were it not for her clothes, Alya could pass off as an actual animal with this expression. It was heartbreaking.

Marinette approached the place with caution. She was a human among humans. However, these humans were of a specific crowd: burrowers delving with renegades of all sorts. She knew of this more through rumors and what her parents sometimes whispered to each other than anything else. Poverty brought desperation. Desperation brought crimes and the dealing of expensive resources.

She inspected the cages for more, but Alya seemed to be the only real monster. The only live one, at least. Marinette knew live monsters were prized in the black market for various things. Some richer humans liked the experience of pure dust. Some renegades needed pure dust to hide in unsuspecting monster families.

And live monsters were rumored to be appreciated for various... _unsavory_ things by twisted individuals. Monsters could not be kept alive for long in captivity due to their dependence on hope and positive emotions, but they could be kept alive long enough for _that_.

Some humans were giving her glances. She was smaller than most, but they all hid their faces, so she was still mingling. Marinette hoped to pass off as some ‘cuckoo’ renegade as she inspected the cage. Alya was guarded by someone. The man was sending warning glares through his hood. If she was the only live monster here, she would obviously be prized once the auction started.

Her cage looked like it had a simple lock, but the blue glow of the bars probably meant some suppression magic, most likely to prevent Alya from making a fuss.

Their eyes locked for a while. The fox monster did not have her glasses, so Marinette was not sure how much of her surroundings she could see. She was not sure if she _wanted_ her to be able to see at this point.

“That’s close enough, lady,” the hooded man said when she raised a hand. She flinched, muttered an excuse, and went back through the crowd, hoping to lose the man’s attention.

‘ _Alright, Marinette,’_ Tikki said as Marinette clutched her chest. ‘ _Let’s proceed methodically. We know where Alya is, we know what type of lock is on her cage, and we know who is guarding her. Where do we go from there?’_

 _We still have one charge left_ , Marinette thought back, _one more if I eat my remaining cookie. What magic do you think would work to unlock the cage?_

‘ _Well, working on a lock always take a little time if we try to recreate the key, but it’s not impossible. Bursting the lock may be an easier way. However…’_

 _However, this is noisy,_ Marinette completed, _and if the cage is charmed, it will alert the human._

‘ _We can spend a charge to override a magic like that, I think. But…’_

_But that’s a full charge and no guarantee to get Alya out. Not to mention we may need to disguise her to get her out…_

‘ _And either way, there is the guard, and Alya’s got to get past the public…’_

Marinette looked back at the cage. Sure enough, many humans were observing the cowering fox with avid eyes. One man was even apparently trying to negotiate a price with Alya’s jailer, even when the auction had yet to start. With this public, poor Alya was a twisted sort of celebrity.

 _We need a distraction,_ Marinette finally thought. _Something big enough to get everyone to look away, but not enough to make them take Alya with them, or hurt her._

Her gaze shifted through various parts of the auction encampment, before settling on the large tent. She twitched her fingers, and felt the knowledge of the Akuma’s magic coming back to her, granting her the solution to this mess, or so she hoped.

Five minutes later, the auction tent was on fire.

Men and women alike ran around the camp, some water magic adepts sending their own magic to contain the mess. Actual renegades tried to use the panic to steal dust for themselves. The man who had tried to buy off Alya earlier arrived at the cage before Marinette, and for a moment, she was afraid she would have to fight him off, but Alya’s jailer noticed and shoved him away.

Marinette sneaked close as the two were distracted. The cage was on a rolling trail, which was perfect for her idea. She touched the cage, and spent a charge to override the cage magic, turning it into the orange color of Bravery. She then pushed on the wheels at the same time, surprising Alya. The fox monster lost her balance and fell through the cage, landing in Marinette’s arms.

Alya’s eyes widened and she struggled. When Marinette’s hold tightened, she felt Alya’s sharp teeth bite through her skin and she suppressed a hiss, shoving them both behind a cage full of chickens.

“If you want to leave this place alive, you _have_ to follow my lead,” she muttered into the fox’s ear. Alya stopped struggling, but her aura was still flaring with fear. Marinette tried to cover it with hers. Within the ambient panic, they had a chance to go unnoticed.

…But they had little time before they would realize Alya was missing.

Marinette uncovered parts of her Lotus disguise. She took her last remaining ladybug compact, and put it on the fox. Alya’s eyes widened in recognition, but Marinette paid it no mind as she concentrated on spending another charge for a long term disguise.

Within seconds, the fox monster was replaced with the splitting image of ‘Buttercup’, Chat Noir’s human disguise. Alya stared at the magic in amazement, but Marinette took her hand and dragged her through the dark cavern, away from the mess she had created.

Marinette could feel Tikki’s strain at maintaining her Lotus illusion on low magic, but they still needed to hurry. Her hold on Alya was tight as they ran through two sets of stairs. Alya tried to speak once, but Marinette shushed her harshly. Now was not the time for explanation.

The higher levels of the Burrow were at reach. Alya was still protected by her ‘Buttercup’ disguise, but once they passed through the sensors at the entrance, they would have to run. Marinette had no idea how the renegades smuggled Alya down in the first place.

They rushed through the cave-like entrance. Marinette felt the oppressive feeling of the alarm when Alya’s monster soul was detected, and they ran through the cave tunnel. She tripped on the dog statue and landed on the ground painfully, but she quickly got up and grasped Alya’s hand, willing the fox’s human illusion away as they ran to another street.

She then stopped, out of breath. Marinette leaned on the cushy wall, ears tensed for any signs that humans had gone out of the tunnel to investigate. Alya’s furry wrist was still in her hand. She looked down at it as she was breathing loudly and released it, finally meeting the frightened gaze of her friend.

Alya was looking at her like… well… like she was a dust-eater.

Marinette swallowed with difficulty. She looked up at the purple street crystal, which had started to glow.

“You….” Another gulp. “You can’t stay out. Go home fast. Don’t get out tonight.”

She made a move to leave. Alya’s clawed hand caught her arm.

“Ladybug?”

Marinette stopped, still not looking at Alya. She remembered the ladybug compact her friend had seen. Then, she remembered she was still under a human illusion as Lotus. In the street. At night.

She should not be out like that. But she could not let Alya see her change.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” Alya said. “That compact… and that magical aura… you’re… you’re one of those strange monsters from down there. Who are they? What do they want?”

“Don’t look for them. Don’t say anything about them to anyone and they will leave you alone. They can’t harm you if they don’t know you know they exist.” She tugged at her arm gently. “Now, please, let me go, I have to-”

“ _Why_ ?” Alya asked, her hold still strong. “Why are they doing this? Why are there so many of the same monster type hiding underground? And how did you find me? Is _this_ your true form? What did they want from me? Why are there animals and-”

“Alya, please, just go!”

Marinette tugged, and the fox released her this time, eyes wide. Marinette knew why. Her ‘Lotus’ disguise had dropped. As well as her Ladybug transformation. Tikki was out of magic. And she was just Marinette. A lost human starving in the street, and with an exposed aura.

Alya recoiled at the uncovered strength of Marinette’s aura, staring at what was probably the familiar traits of Ladybug without her spotted mask.

Then, without a word, Alya pressed her magic on Marinette until she felt the familiar pull on her soul. Unable to hold it in, Marinette could only wince when the magenta heart was pulled out, shining in the dark street.

She felt the exact moment when Alya realized. She saw the face of her friend distort from two different viewpoints at the horrible discovery. The human raised the palm of her hand up, slowly.

“Alya…”

“Oh, fluffbun… oh my _god_ …”

“Please, don’t make a scene here…”

Alya was shaking and holding her head, seemingly unable to listen properly. Her ears flattened completely on her skull.

“Oh, my god… oh no… that’s… _no_ …”

“Alya, please-”

“No. _No_ !” She took a step back, her claws tensed. “You _can’t_ be real… This can’t be real! Because if it is… oh my god… that is so, _so_ bad. Oh no…”

“Alya…” Marinette felt for her friend, even without her magic. She could easily gauge her distress. She took a step forward.

Alya swatted at her hands, snarling.

“ _Don’t touch me_ , oh my god! You…” She looked torn between just bolting or lunging at her. “You’re a _dust-eater_ , aren't you? The powerful souls… the underground people… the bags of… _oh my god_ …” Her muzzle wrinkled further, and tears welled in her eyes. “You’re Ladybug, and you’re _also_ a dust-eater! Dust-eaters exist, and they dress as ‘heroes of justice’ and _pretend_ to protect monsters from _themselves_!”

Marinette shook her head, swallowing.

“It’s not like that, Alya. And please, keep your voice down—”

“Why? So that you can suck my dust out quietly?” Alya asked, not bothering to mask her distrust. “I… I actually _believed_ in you, you know that? I believed in you!”

“I know.” Marinette looked around. “And if the others like me hear you and realize that you know about them, you’re as good as dead. And so am I for helping you.”

That seemed to plant a seed of doubt in Alya. She gave a wary look at Marinette, observing her.

“… So, that’s your story, then? You’re one of the ‘good dust-eaters’? And that’s why you fight for monsters? Is that it?”

Marinette bit her lips, then nodded. That did not seem to convince the fox, who bared her teeth again.

“Why? Why would you help monsters? Why would you help _me_?”

Marinette closed her eyes, even though she could still see her surroundings through her uncovered soul. She was so vulnerable and hungry. So tired about everything happening. Both scared, and too tired to be scared.

And yet, she had a duty to this monster in need before her.

“…Because that’s the right thing to do,” she said, her throat tightening.

“Is that it?”

She nodded, even with Alya’s unconvinced tone. She took a deep breath. She opened her eyes again, staring at the fox monster through teary eyes.

“It’s… It’s also because you’re my friend, Alya. And I’d never let anyone hurt my friends.”

She knew. Marinette felt it. The very moment Alya understood. Her shoulders sagged and she released her magic hold. Marinette hiccuped when her soul went back into her chest.

The fox raised a trembling hand.

“Y-you… you _know_ me… You’re…” Her eyes shifted through what the human was wearing, and they locked on her small Jagged Stone bag. “… _Marinette_?”

Marinette burst into tears.

She held on tight when Alya’s arms surrounded her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	30. Heroic Matters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and kudos! Hope you enjoy this!

“So… You’ve been doing this since then, huh,” Alya said in a tone that was expecting no real answer. She was twirling her herbal tea with a spoon.

Marinette nodded, sipping her own drink quietly, glancing at the closely shut window of Alya’s room nervously.

Getting Alya home had required some strategy. First, she had called her parents on Marinette’s new phone, pretending she had lost hers (the renegade humans had destroyed it, of course). She had then arrived home, greeted her parents in person before walking to her room for the night.

Then, ‘Alya’ had walked into the den yet another time, surprising her parents. But once she had explained having to get something she lost in the stairs, her parents left her alone, and she walked to her room for the night.

‘Alya’ had then dropped her disguise, leaving a starving and tired Marinette to be led on the bed by a cautious Alya, who told her she could be back with some food.

When Alya came back in with a food tray and herbal tea, she had instantly asked her best friend to tell her everything.

Marinette did. Guiltily.

She never wished for anyone to find out. Not even Alya. But she owed the truth to her friend. She owed it after Alya stuck with her after she revealed herself. She owed it after Alya gave her some of her dust in order to hide her human aura long enough for them to head to Alya’s home.

She never should have revealed herself to anyone. But she trusted Alya, and she hoped she had not made a mistake in doing so. She wondered how badly Chat Noir would take it if he knew she had broken the biggest secrecy rule, and to a civilian monster, to boot.

Chat Noir… fluffbun… she was still worried about Chat Noir.

And to make matters worse…

Her phone buzzed and she looked down at it, her throat tight while she was reading her parents’ worried texts. She had first tried to reassure them that she was fine, and at Alya’s place. But when they had said they would head over to take her back home, she had panicked and said she was somewhere else safe instead. Alya’s parents had no idea Marinette was here, and Marinette had no magic left of any sort to hide, apart from the bit of dust Alya had gracefully given her. She could not reform her monster form with Alya’s pure dust.

So, now, Marinette’s parents knew she was hiding something, and were rightfully angry and worried that she would not tell them where she currently was.

“… How bad is it?” Alya asked after seeing her look at the phone. Marinette put it away with a sigh.

“They’re worried. But it can’t be helped now.”

“Then, eat fast so that you can refill, or something… fluffbun…” Alya followed Marinette’s hand as she took another melon piece and she shook her head. “This is… everything is so… I still can’t wrap my head around it.”

Marinette nodded, then took a bite off the melon, still feeling Alya’s gaze on her.

“Girl… Marinette…” The fox’s tone was full of wonder. “You’re an _actual_ hero of justice. Even with all that crazy dust-eater stuff, you are!” She shook her head. “You went beyond your kind’s limitation and used your powers to save monsterkind… That’s incredible…”

Marinette felt a lump in her throat. She looked down with a shiver.

“Without Tikki’s help, I’d be just another dust-eater, Alya,” she countered softly. “A lot of them… a lot of us just want to live and be free of needing dust to live. Not everyone, but most of us aren’t like those who captured you. And it’s not to defend us that I say that. It’s for you to understand that we’re not like how we are in TV shows at all. We’re not evil spirits, or anything of the sort. We’re an actual people.”

“Only hiding among us,” Alya completed, nodding. “Fluffbun…” She put a hand on her muzzle. “A whole different species hiding among us… feeding off our dead… our magic… that’s…” She shuddered. “How did you even do that? Where do you even come from?”

Marinette looked away, pondering for a moment if she should reveal more. She felt Tikki’s indecision, and took a breath.

“You know about the great war? The legendary one, six thousand years ago?”

“The one that supposedly has monsters and humans fight each other?” Alya squinted. “Yes, of course. It’s a pretty unlikely story, though. Because no one ever saw a huma—oh… _oh_!’

She put a hand on her mouth, studying Marinette, her eyes wide.

“Oh, fluffbun… no way! You don’t mean to tell me… oh _god_!”

At Marinette’s nod, Alya gripped her head. A short laugh came out of her lips.

“Oh. My. God. This is crazy… but it also makes so much sense too, and… oh god, I don’t know how much more I can take…”

“I’m sorry, Alya.” Marinette looked at her drink. “Maybe we should take a break—”

“ _Don’t stop_. No.” The fox monster stared at her intently. “This is good. I mean… not good in the large sense,” she corrected with a wince. “Good as in: things are starting to make so much more sense now…” She slammed a fist on her palm, almost making her mug fall. “No wonder our politics are so controlled and hard for new monsters to enter into. They’re humans! That has to be how you managed to keep hidden for so long!”

Marinette grimaced guiltily, even if she knew she was not responsible about this herself. Alya seemed too concerned with her findings to notice.

“This is an actual, honest to God, conspiracy! And you and Chat Noir are the key to uncovering it!” The fox blinked, seemingly realizing something. “Where has he been, by the way? Why didn’t he cover for you down there?”

“I… I don’t know.” Marinette sighed, gripping her cup. “I tried to contact him all day, and he hasn’t answered. I—”

“Fluffbun! You don’t think something happened to him, do you?” Alya’s ears flattened. “What would other humans do if they captured you? They wouldn’t hurt him, though, would they?”

Marinette bit her lips.

“Chat’s not a human.”

“Huh? Really? I thought-”

“He’s a fusion. Like in the legend.”

“… Of a monster with a human soul?” Alya put her mug down on the tray. “Oh, fluffbun… that’s right… humans’ souls can be _fused_ with… That means…” She shivered. “It can happen at any time…”

“That’s another big reason why you absolutely _can’t_ tell anyone about what I’m telling you now,” Marinette insisted, looking at her friend with intensity. “With humans able to use monsters’ magic, and monsters capable of absorbing dead humans’ souls, mass chaos will be achieved very quickly if our existence got out. We’re risking another great war.”

Alya’s gaze got lost on a wall somewhere behind Marinette. The human girl reached her friend’s hand and caressed it.

“… I think I hate this, Marinette,” Alya finally said. “Knowing, and not being able to tell. I-I still believe that people have a right to the truth… but…” She sighed. “This just _sucks_!”

“Yeah…” Marinette kept on caressing her friend’s hand. “It does. If you…” She took a breath. “If you need anything… if you feel any… dizziness, or anything like that, I’m-”

Alya shook her head.

“I’ll be okay. I can take it.” She closed her eyes. “Well… if it was just the dust-eaters, maybe not. But you?” She looked up at Marinette’s eyes. “Knowing that it’s you? Knowing what you do, and why you do it?” She smiled. “That makes me so proud, girl.” She then winced and chuckled. “Although, now, I get why you’re so scared to get close to Adrien.”

Marinette’s shoulder sagged, but she still let her gratitude show in her aura at her friend’s acceptance.

“Yeah…”

Alya’s gripped her hand inside hers.

“And also… I’m grateful that you told me. I feel honored that… that you let me in on something you haven’t even told your own parents… even if this whole thing is messed up.”

“You’re the first person I told all of this.” Marinette stroked her earlobe. “Tikki and you are the only two that know of Ladybug’s true identity.”

“Really? Not even Chat Noir?”

Marinette shook her head.

“We’ve kept our identities secret from each other in case of capture, so that we don’t compromise each other’s safety.”

Alya took her hand away from Marinette.

“Oh, fluffbun, I’m a security risk…”

Marinette bit her lips and nodded.

“Things should be fine if you keep a low profile. But I want you to be very careful. What happened last time happened because you rushed into danger in a place without people. I can’t force you to stop recording fights, but please, don’t go into danger alone. That’s when they can kidnap you easily.”

“I… yeah…” Alya’s ears flickered at the noises her parents were making and she winced. “It’s getting pretty late. Maybe it’d be better for you to stay here for the night?”

Marinette sighed and stood up.

“I worried my parents enough. And I would still like to try to find Chat Noir one last time today.” She called for her newly formed magic. “Spots on.”

Once the red glow of her transformation went through, she gave a small smile to Alya, who was looking at her in awe.

“Wow…”

“I know.” She chuckled, giving her friend a warm smile. “Thank you for the food. I'll see you at school tomorrow, okay?”

Alya smirked, her eyes gleaming warmly.

“You bet, girl.”

Ladybug buzzed out through the night.

\--

She had just enough time to notice Chat’s new message before she felt her energy depleting.

‘ _I’m sorry, Marinette, I think I overworked myself. I can’t hold on to this form…’_

Ladybug nodded and flew down, carefully checking auras around her before dropping her hero form and switching to her monster disguise. In truth, she was feeling exhausted. Maybe she should have taken on Alya’s suggestion… but what was done was done.

So she settled on walking home. The melon pieces Alya snatched for her should be enough to hold her form. Unfortunately, she could not check Chat Noir’s message in this form, but at least she knew he was alive and safe enough to send her one.

They had much to discuss too. About that day. From her encounter with Gavroche and Elias, to this mysterious black feline that intervened in the fight with the Akuma.

…Now that she thought about it, the way ‘Not-Chat’ moved was eerily reminiscent of Chat Noir himself. Tikki squirmed inside her mind in discomfort.

‘ _I’m… not really sure about that one… but the way it moved… I wonder if some of our sightings of ‘Chat’ around the school had been this monster.’_

Marinette shuddered when she recalled the black feline form she saw through the concert hall’s roof. If this was true… then, this may have been ‘Not-Chat’ as well. It may have followed.

Maybe even now…

She looked around, but her ladybug’s eyes were not adept at perceiving things through the night, and Tikki was too tired to grant her night vision. A part of her was worried about what could be observing her as she walked all alone. An equally big part of her was somewhat glad she had no means to find out and could stay blissfully ignorant, if only for a little while longer.

Then, she caught the hooded figure walking on the opposite side of the street. Something about its walk stirred some unpleasant thoughts in her imagination. Renegades could act like this: walking in streets at night attacking stray monsters. And it’s not like she would necessarily be off the hook if they realized she was a human. They could try to rob her of her dust and leave her in front of a Burrow entrance somewhere. Not the worst that could happen, but she could definitely be roughed up.

… The worst was if she crossed paths with a real maniac.

That was within the realm of possibility.

How likely would she be to get away? It would depend on various things. She had no dust on her, but maybe she could maybe use her remaining magic to disarm such a person and take away their dust? She had taken on bigger foes…

The figure was coming close, and Marinette was still unsure of its direction. Then, it froze in its tracks, looking at something behind Marinette. Marinette stopped as well, looking up at the sound of something moving up a building, then back at the cloaked figure. Whatever was under the cloak dived into a smaller street.

She heard the soft ‘thud’ of something landing behind her and turned sharply. Her heart leaped into her chest at the sight of the black feline form, and her antennae vibrated.

Then she saw the baton the figure was holding, and did a double-take. When she was assured of who it was, she relaxed.

“Ch-Chat Noir…” She breathed out. “What are you doing here?”

Her partner casually walked up to her, although his glowing eyes were looking at the way the cloaked figure disappeared.

“I’m only doing a routine patrol,” he answered, his ears rising inquisitively, “Although, I could ask you the same, little lady.”

He seemed tenser than usual, but no worse for wear. Marinette concluded he had indeed been doing okay while she was fighting. Most likely, he had been unable to find a quiet place to transform. It had happened before to the both of them, and she knew his family was strict.

But it also meant that the last message he received from Ladybug was of her heading to the Burrow to rescue the Lady-blogger fox, and he was most certainly worried about her.

“Well?”

She jumped when he spoke, and he seemed to take it as a cue to move away a little, leaning on his extended baton.

She brought one of her hands to her chest.

“Um… ‘well’?”

He was still glancing around, but he stopped long enough to give her a reassuring smile.

“I’m just wondering what a charming little bug such as yourself is doing out here at this hour. The streets are no safe place for young monsters.”

He was being so cautious to not spook her, and she was grateful about that. But part of her also felt guilty for making him worry as much as she was currently. She twitched her four hands in worry.

“W-well, that is… I…” She thought of her excuse, and her antennae twitched. She raised a finger. “I-I was worried about my friend, you see. Alya?” His ears perked up, and she kept on gesturing in her tale. “S-so, I went to find her and I, uh, ended up running all over town! I was getting worried, but then, I got a call from her telling me Ladybug just saved her from some nasty monster kidnappers like those that attacked my friend Adrien earlier?” She showed her phone before swiftly putting it back into her bag. “B-but then, my battery died.” She forced a smile and passed a hand on her neck. “And now… well… I guess I have to head back home. I didn’t realize it was this late.”

She silently congratulated herself when she saw Chat relax. It was subtle, but they had partnered up enough for her to catch onto his tells. His smile widened, and he twirled his baton.

“Well, as noble as looking for your friend was, you now find yourself in an uncomfortable predicament. But no worries, princess.” He bowed down dramatically. “This fervent knight is here to escort you home tonight. I’m no Ladybug, but I’m sure your friend Alya will marvel at your tale!”

She chuckled, somewhat happy he was doing his usual ‘hero of justice’ routine with her. He had no idea he had once called her ‘princess’ before, and she was half-tempted to ask him if he called every pretty girl he crossed that. She settled on a grateful smile.

“Thanks for the offer, Chat Noir. I’m happy to take it.” She sighed and took his hand when he offered. “To be honest, today was far too exhausting.”

His smile thinned a bit as he cautiously took her in his arms.

“Yeah… I understand the feeling.”

She scrutinized him. Chat Noir had hidden his aura under a gray of impassiveness, and him just doing that was enough to ring a few alarm bells to Marinette. When she thought about it, there was no way Chat Noir handled his inability to help Ladybug well.

She settled her head on his chest comfortably, making transparent the full trust she had for him in her aura. If he had a reaction to it, she did not know.

He jumped up and onto a building. She would probably find the experience more unsettling had he not carried her this way before. The air whistled around her antennae until Chat suddenly stopped his jumping.

“So, uh. I might need help in finding your home?” he said with a chuckle. “Only now, I realize…”

“… Oh, ah, right.” She told him the name of her street and looked at him as he was nodding and preparing to jump again. She almost slipped out something about the ‘Not-Chat’ she crossed paths with before restraining herself in time, no small thanks to Tikki. ‘Civilian Monster Marinette’ could not know of such things, and would definitely blow her cover if she did.

… Like she blew her cover with Alya.

How would Chat take Alya knowing? Marinette was almost scared to find out. She knew she revealed herself out of desperation, and she knew Chat would understand that. But they still could not reveal themselves to one another. This would be hard on him…

“Ah. There it is!” Chat stopped close to the bakery. “Let’s get down and tell your parents you’re safe—”

“Oh, wait!” She grabbed his bell, prompting him to look down at her curiously. “Actually, there’s a hatch on my balcony that leads to my room directly. If you don’t mind… it would probably be easier for you as well. I’ll explain everything to my parents.”

She could not very well tell him that she would rather not make her parents waste dust in answering the front door. Thankfully, Chat nodded in understanding, took his baton, and extended it, leading them both up on the cookie platform of her terrace.

When he landed, he let her go delicately and looked around with interest.

“Hmm, someone’s got a green thumb, I see.”

“Hmm, yeah…” Marinette looked at the decorative pots and shrugged. “I like flowers. They’re… lively.”

He gave her an understanding look and nodded softly.

“That’s true enough. I like them too.”

Marinette knew that. She still had his rose in her room merely a few days ago, before it fully wilted.

Her insides twisted.

“… Well…” He turned away. “If everything is okay, I’ll—”

“Chat Noir.”

She grabbed his biceps, and surprised herself in doing so. A part of Marinette warned her against saying anything more, but given his interactions with her hero persona seemed so bristly since their talk with the Hunters, maybe she would have a better chance this way.

“What is it?”

“It’s just…” She bit her lips and met his curious gaze. “I wanted to know if you were okay. Today… I haven’t seen you in the web videos and…”

Chat Noir first looked surprised, but he then relaxed under her touch, a small smile adorning his human lips.

“I… well…” He massaged his head, then shrugged. “Things could definitely have gone better… but I’m sure they will, in the future… eventually.”

She watched him frown and look down. Then, he sighed and leaned on the balcony.

“To tell you the truth, sometimes, I wonder if I’m doing enough.” He looked down. “Ladybug had to fend off this adversary alone today. It happens on occasion, but today was the worst… and even afterward, I was no help.” He shook his head and pressed his eyelids. “Things have been… weird lately for me… but that’s no excuse.” His tired expression turned to the cold night of Syrrup. “A hero’s job is never done.”

She was dying to know what he meant about ‘lately’, but knew better than asking. Instead, she looked at herself, before leaning beside him.

“Well… you saved me.” She gave him a smile. “Not just today either. You saved me and many others. I’m sure Ladybug is grateful to have you by her side.”

He looked at her fully, like he was seeing her for the first time. Marinette felt slightly uncovered under his inquisitive gaze. But then, he grinned widely.

“Wow, little lady; you sure know how to _scratch_ an itchy feeling away! Impressive!”

Marinette stifled a groan and twisted it into a nervous laugh. Chat laughed wholeheartedly, patted her shoulder, then smiled.

There was something incredibly familiar in that smile. Perhaps it reminded her of the ones he gave his partner on occasion. Either way, her wings did a soft buzzing under her carapace.

“In all seriousness, though, thank you. I appreciate the recognition. You’re an awesome little bug.”

He made a finger-gun gesture and jumped on the railing. He turned one last time, his tail rising in an ‘s’.

“Also, Happy birthday, Marinette. I’m sorry today was so terrible.”

Her antennae rose in surprise.

“Huh? H-how did you—”

He snickered.

“This cat has his sources, miss ‘Lady-blogger’s friend’.” He gestured at himself confidently. “And I may not be Ladybug, but I’m sure that a personal escort by Chat Noir counts as a good birthday present alternative, doesn’t it?”

She suppressed a chuckle, and he grinned further, extending his baton into the night.

“Well. Let’s both ‘bug out’! Have a good night!”

She watched him disappear into the night with a smile, feeling a lot better about herself, in spite of her exhaustion.

Yes. Today was horrible. But at least, she brought him a genuine smile this time.

She pulled the trapdoor open and slid inside. She landed on her bed swiftly.

“And what was that about, young lady?”

Marinette froze at her maman’s voice. Slowly, her head turned, and she met the two firm gazes of her parents, standing under the mezzanine, their arms crossed.

She gulped, and finally let her monster illusion drop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	31. Family Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudoing and commenting! Hope you enjoy this!

“Marinette, we can’t even begin to express how worried we’ve been for you!”

“We _did_ call the Watch this time, you know? Do you understand how busy they are? With everything going on nowadays, they have their hands full with dealing with the Amalgamates and the aftermath of Ladybug and Chat Noir’s fights already!”

Marinette did not dare to look up at her papa, her hands were tightly gripping the arms of the _chaise longue_ she was sitting on.

“I-I know,” she said in a mutter, “but Alya—”

“Alya may be your friend, but you’re not her guardian!” Tom cut her off, before sighing and softening his tone. “Listen, I know you love her, but this girl has been going into trouble regularly now. And none of us can stop her from doing so. Only the proper authorities can save her in those cases, or even this ‘Ladybug’ or ‘Chat Noir’. You’re only a kid, and a human one, at that. You’re much more at risk of dying than Alya is from those white ‘Amalgamates’.”

Marinette swallowed, stealing glances at her parents, her arms trembling.

“Understand, sweetie,” her maman added from the chair she was sitting on, her eyes as pleading as her papa’s, “we’ve been so worried all afternoon! You didn’t even call us with your new phone! We only learned of your disappearance through your friend Nino and…” She raised her hands. “And the news channel!”

Marinette flinched at the distress in her mother’s tone.

“We paid for a new phone so that the situation from last time would not happen again, Marinette.” Tom shook his head. “We know how hard it is for you.” He exchanged a look with his wife. “We really do. But the reality of it is that you’re _not_ like your friends. You _don’t_ belong in their world. And if they find you, this will be the end of this life.”

A silence fell after Tom’s words. Marinette’s throat tightened.

“… You know we only want the best for you, Marinette,” her maman said softly. “Whether you want to live on the surface, in the Burrows, or somewhere else, we’ll support you, no matter what.”

“We love you, sweetheart,” her papa added, his voice full of affection. Marinette could not look at his face. “We love you, and that’s why we support you in your designing ambition, that’s why we’ll pay the price needed for you to become whatever you wish to become…but we don’t want the price to be your life!”

She hiccuped and swallowed, unable to answer.

If they knew the truth…

Once, she had thought that they would give up dust in a heartbeat if she told them of an alternative. Part of herself still did.

… But now, something she had first missed had started to become clear. It had become clear since she had chosen to venture into the Burrows and risk the Masquerade for Alya.

“I get that… it’s been hard for you, lately,” her maman said quietly, sitting near her daughter so that she could caress her hand. “Things have moved in ways that have been hard with all of us. That’s why we have to remember to live for ourselves. That’s why we have to remember that a family should stay united. We have to do it, for both the living, and those that have passed away. We have to do it for Brigitte—”

Marinette gasped and shoved a fist in her mouth, biting it tight as she was sobbing. Her maman kept on massaging her back and cooing, all the while her papa sat at her other side and surrounded her in a comforting hug. She could not stop biting. She concentrated on the pain rather than the words as her tears blinded her and her parents kept talking.

They did not know. They _could not_ know what Brigitte wanted.

And now, it was clear that Brigitte had realized it as well.

Her parents would give their life to keep her and the family safe. They would do everything to make her happy.

Her, and only her.

If they knew of Tikki…if they knew of Ladybug…they would have taken the earrings, and given them to the Watch in a heartbeat. To keep their daughter safe. They would never go against the established order if it meant their daughter would risk dying, or worse.

Alya would have died.

And so many others would have as well.

Marinette kept crying, and made empty promises of keeping safe to her parents...far from the last time she would do so.

Tikki was still comforting her when they were gone and she was crying herself to sleep.

-

When her maman called her and told her they had guests coming the next morning, Marinette was not prepared. She was still ruminating about the day before and applying makeup.

Well, at least, she could cover up everything with her monster form this morning, if they had guests.

‘ _It’s very early. I wonder what they’re here for…’_

Marinette shrugged.

_Probably something to do with the bakery. I’m going to school soon anyway._

She applied her disguise and headed down to her living room. She spotted a spider monster taking almost the whole couch and instantly figured they were here to talk about the spider pastries associate business.

Then, she saw the golden-furred dog monster talking with the bear form of her father. And when they spotted her, their eyes brightened, and their tail wagged.

“Hey, there she is! My little fan!” They— _he_ —waved a paw. “Hey there, Marinette! I wos just about to explain everything to yor dad!”

Marinette’s already huge eyes bulged.

“J-Jagged Stone?”

The dog barked a laugh.

“In the dust! And in the flesh as well… but you already knew that.”

Sabine’s cricket form appeared in the doorway and shut the door behind her, as well as the shutters.

“There, I closed the bakery for an hour. We can talk safely.”

The dog and the spider nodded and dropped their disguise at the same time Marinette’s parents did. She barely had the time to recognize the spider as the one who tried to web up the dog amalgamate to help monsters escape yesterday before it was replaced by a human wearing loose clothing, with short hair and a tired look.

Jagged, now in his human form, waved at her to come forward.

“So, as I was saying to you, Mr. Dupain-Cheng, your daughter had a very close encounter with a dangerous foe. I have to apologize to you both for this. We tried to make my concert safe from attacks, but even the Watch members present had trouble.”

The disheveled human gave Marinette a tired nod as she approached.

“Yeah… things turned slime-jam pretty quickly. Sorry about that, kiddo.”

Marinette sat beside her papa, leaving her maman to sit by her other side. The new human… the member of the Watch, had sounded female. And now that Marinette was close enough, she could guess her form. She was not exactly unattractive, but there was an air about her that just screamed ‘used’. She had no visible scars, but the way her nose curved like it had been broken, the way one of her eyelids seemed to droop a bit too much, and the way her jaw seemed to sway on one side… this was the face of someone who had taken hits and been healed too fast, too sloppily.

This was the face of someone who had lived through combat. Someone who _knew._

Her brown eyes seemed to bore into Marinette, in spite of her relaxed stance.

“You can drop the disguise, kid. No one here will hurt you.”

It was a gentle voice. Yet, it held power. Marinette dropped her disguise and looked down with a blush, her heartbeat accelerating.

“You’ve got a courageous daughter, Mrs. and Mr. Dupain-Cheng,” Jagged said, putting a hand over the couch and relaxing in his seat. “After the fact, two of her friends asked around about her, and we had testimonies that she purposely led the Amalgamates away from her monster friends’ hiding place. Like a true little hero!”

Marinette blushed from the praise, but her heartbeat accelerated upon seeing the looks her parents were giving her. She had not mentioned this to them yesterday.

“Well… Marinette has always been kind and compassionate,” Sabine said, putting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder and massaging it. “She has a good heart… even if it leads her to act rashly at times, like yesterday.” She bowed. “We’re very sorry for the trouble she caused the Watch.”

The Watch member huffed softly and shook her head.

“Kindness and compassion… now, here are some values we could do well with more of,” she said, her eyes on her flexing hand. “Heaven knows Watchers stray without ‘em.”

Marinette looked up in surprise at the woman, and saw the amused sparkle in her eyes. She straightened up and raised her hand.

“You can call me ‘Alan’. It’s a pleasure to meet you, kid.”

Marinette hesitantly let herself be pulled into the firm handshake. Alan’s crooked mouth twisted into a slight smile before she leaned away again.

“So. It’s as Jagged said. We wanted to use the occasion to check on you three after your call yesterday, and to apologize for letting your girl put herself into danger this way.” She gave a short nod to both adults. “I was on duty for the concert’s security, and for this, I’m sorry.”

Marinette saw her parents exchange a surprised look. Her papa scratched his head.

“It’s… well, we understand, of course. Current events don’t leave you as much room to act.”

Alan nodded.

“Yeah…” Her eyes strayed on Marinette again. “…Speaking of which, I would like to have a word with your daughter concerning what happened. Nothing much. Just a small testimony.”

Marinette did her best to keep her calm under the Watcher’s gaze, fighting against a furious need to touch her burning earlobes. She felt both of her parents’ hands on her back.

“Do you require seeing our daughter alone for this?” Tom asked, an underlying concern amidst his warmth. “If possible, we’d rather stay.”

Alan gave the two of them a look, and chuckled, shaking her head.

“Oh, yeah, it’s very fine. Probably better this way. I don’t wanna spook little mice with this.” Marinette felt her cheeks heat up as the Watcher continued speaking. “Really, it’s nothing much. We just need to have as much information on what happened as possible.”

Marinette felt both holds on her relax. She kept a straight and serious stance as she faced the Watcher.

Beside the woman, Jagged’s eyes fixed on something on Marinette’s person and he pointed.

“Oh, wow… is that from my line of products? I don’t remember seeing it before.”

Marinette looked down on her Jagged Stone themed handbag, and clutched it nervously.

“Ah, uh… n-no. I… I made this recently for the concert,” she mumbled.

“You made it? Wow! What a budding little talent you are!”

“Jagged.” Alan gave him a sideways glance. “Focus.”

“Right.” He raised his hands up. “Sorry.”

“Sometimes, I wonder how Penny has times for your shtick…” Alan rolled her eyes. “Ah, well. Let’s get back to business.” She crooked a smile and pointed at Marinette. “Why don’t you tell us everything you remember of the attack, little fashionista.”

Marinette swallowed. She took a breath, and shakily told her tale. Tikki was there to guide her in the back of her mind, but the fear of slipping up was dampening her usual expressiveness. She was glad for Jagged’s occasional light commentary, and his banter with Alan. From the way he paid attention when she mentioned the humans disguised as monsters fighting the dog Amalgamate, it became pretty obvious he was here mostly to figure out how much Gavroche and the others had been compromised.

Marinette was not fond of having to let criminals like Elias and Gavroche go without repercussions, but Ladybug had no authority to arrest anyone, and Jagged had no desire to go against his old friends either. She was more than aware that the two had less of a chance of being punished either way. Their crimes were against monsters, not humans.

She pushed back her feelings of bitterness when she thought of Alya.

She feigned not remembering any of the humans’ names, and to not have noticed Jagged’s connections to them. Alan’s brow slightly rose at that, but the Watcher made no comment to interrupt Marinette. When it came to Marinette supposedly running around town in search of Alya, Alan’s brow also twitched. But once more, she kept silent, until Marinette mentioned being brought home by Chat Noir.

“Chat Noir, you say?” Alan cocked her head, a hand on her chin. “The very same ‘Chat Noir’ who fights the Amalgamates?”

Marinette nodded and looked down. She did not like having to talk about her partner to the Watch, but her parents were aware he had brought her home. She could not omit this in front of them.

Alan hummed, then looked to the side.

“With Ladybug’s intervention on the Agreste monster’s kidnapping attempt, I’m guessing Chat Noir’s intervention here is in line with what we’ve seen of them.” She gave Marinette a sharp gaze. “You got any impression that he knew what you were?”

Marinette shook her head.

“He… well…” she hunched down. “He saw me as a monster before… when my school was attacked.”

“Ah. Right. You’re one of the Françoise-Dupont school’s students, huh?” After another nod from Marinette, Alan breathed out. “Figures. Ah, well.” She stood up, and dusted her pants. “Speaking of school, I know you have to go soon, so we won’t keep you here any longer. Thank you for your time.”

Marinette’s parents nodded, and after that she stood up with a breath, and rubbed one of her earrings.

“… By the way, kiddo.”

Marinette froze, then slowly looked up at the woman.

She was holding out a piece of paper with an email address on it.

“I know things got a bit crazy. If you need anything… especially if you have anything new about Chat Noir and Ladybug, don’t hesitate to contact me. I’ll be listening whenever I can.”

Marinette did her best to prevent her hands from trembling. Jagged handed her his own card, making her flinch.

“Sorry again for the trouble, Marinette. If you want any autographs from me, you can ask. And who knows...” He winked. “I might ask you to do some crafts for me in the near future, miss designer.”

Marinette sputtered a thank you, watching the two humans leave her house with a wary look.

-

“Marinette, I’ve been thinking… About what you told me about your aun—”

“No.”

Alya wrinkled her muzzle and put her hands on her lips.

“You didn’t even let me finish!”

“You want to look up more on your own about the Miraculous lab and its ties with her,” Marinette guessed, her mandibles quivering. “And I’m telling you to drop it. I’ve… endangered you enough as is.”

When they found each other this morning, Alya had practically jumped into Marinette’s arms, and Marinette had refused to let go for a minute or two. As life-changing as the consequences of her confession to Alya were, Marinette was glad she could count on her friend to be here then.

But even now, as they walked to the school building, Alya had proven to be her typical journalist self.

“Okay, listen girl.” The fox raised a finger. “I get that you and your kitty are playing nice with your jewelry spirits and staying put, but you honestly _can not_ tell me that you ain’t feeling even a little bit suspicious that they don’t want you to find out what was happening at this lab.”

‘ _I’m right here listening to her…’_

“Tikki’s right here listening to you,” Marinette repeated for her before sighing. “Anyway, the lab was destroyed years ago.” She glanced around and muttered. “Our focus is on you-know-what and on removing the ring of you-know-who.”

Alya squinted, one of her ears falling to the side, before she sighed and shook her head.

“Alright. Let’s say this is the case. You said you have trouble with the ring, right? Who’s to say you’ll be ready to take on ‘that guy’,” she quoted in the air, “if you can’t even get this thing off? Last ‘you-know-what’ attack almost got you, you said? He may already have sniffed you. Do you really have that much time?”

Marinette shuddered, looking down.

“… Plagg said-”

She stopped talking. Did Plagg not also say the tracking Amalgamate was disposed of for good? Did the human soul truly have the best outlook of the situation?

… Maybe they had less time than they had hoped.

‘ _Marinette…’_

She shook herself off it and gazed into Alya’s intense golden eyes.

“I don’t want you to go into trouble,” Marinette said, in a tone that made clear she wanted no compromise. “Can I count on your words that you will _not_ venture into any of this?”

Alya’s gaze darted from one of Marinette’s bug eyes to the other before she answered.

“And what if I told you I had some journalistic ties that could give me the info needed? No need for field action?”

Marinette’s antennae twitched.

“… Then, I’d tell you to not say anything incriminating to them and to leave any sort of field trip to me.”

Alya’s smile uncovered her fangs, and she took one of Marinette’s hands, clutching it tightly.

“The least I can do for a friend.”

Marinette smiled.

“Alya! Marinette! Dudes, I’m so glad to see you’re okay!”

Alya’s ears twitched, and she turned to the turtle monster running to them.

“Nino! I told you we were fine yesterday on the phone!”

Even as she said that, though, she sent out her greeting bullet pattern to be caught by him, and practically threw herself in his arms. Marinette jogged to them both.

“I know,” Nino muttered, releasing the fox monster, “but seeing you’re fine is different from reading your text. I know how much you like to play tough for other people’s sake. Heck, you still haven’t gotten new glasses, have you?”

He pointed at her muzzle, and she grimaced. Marinette recalled Alya’s lost glasses from her capture yesterday, and her heart grew heavy. The fox monster waved dismissively.

“I’m at the front of the class. I can manage until I get new ones.” She crossed her arms. “But how did you guys manage on your own yesterday? I know Marinette went after you, but she told me you got trapped in the bathroom.”

“Ah, thanks for reminding me.” Nino turned to Marinette and frowned. She gulped.

He walked to her and shoved a large finger on her chest.

“What you did yesterday? Don’t do it again. Ever. Adrien was going into shock in there, I swear! He ended up convincing himself that he failed some responsibility by letting you two wander out alone. And when you trapped us in? This was the worst, girl!”

Marinette looked down, clutching her bag guiltily.

“I’m… I’m sorry Nino.” Her mandibles quivered. “It’s just… with Alya in danger already… and Adrien hurt… I was so scared for everyone and I… I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.”

She briefly glanced at Alya. From her look, The fox knew her friend’s action had been deliberate. But there would be no way to discuss this with either of the boys. At least, Alya kept silent as Nino sighed and scratched his head on the spot where he was usually wearing his headphones.

“Yeah… I can’t say I don’t get it either… We’ve all been through the grinder yesterday. But… hey…” He chuckled, smiling slightly. “At least, we’re all alive, huh? It’s like the third time or something some crazy shtick happened, and we survived. I guess this counts as something.”

Marinette nodded, then shyly looked up.

“Is, uh… is Adrien mad at me too?” She wiggled her hands together. “Ooh I really should apologize I didn’t think this through but what if I hurt him so much he refuses to see me anymore and his father pulls him out of school and I get a life-ban from seeing him ever again I-”

Nino shushed her with a finger, and Alya massaged her carapace with a chuckle.

“Now, this is a Marinette freak out if I’ve ever seen one!” She grinned softly. “Chillax, girl. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

“Yeah, what Alya says,” Nino added with a smile. “My dude is too cool to to pull something like that. Especially not to us.” Nino shrugged. “Hey, if anything, I’m glad he wasn’t pulled into any more encounters with that Amalgamate thing, because his dad would life-ban _me_ if anything bad happened to him.”

Marinette winced, her antennae coming down gloomily.

“But… because of me, his leg was—”

“Nathalie, please! I can go on my own-”

“That’s irrelevant, Adrien.”

Marinette, Alya and Nino all turned to look at the two figures getting out of the black transport, with one being their best friend Adrien. He was walking without any apparent trouble, and giving nervous glances at the monster beside him. From the voice, Marinette supposed they were closer to being feminine, but this was hard to tell. She was polished, like an onyx statue, and floating a few inches above the ground. She was wearing a dark blue tuxedo, and her eyes were pearly white, like the life in them had either been snuffed out, or had never existed.

She floated ahead, her arms behind her back, scanning the crowd of monster children entering the building. Her eyes met Marinette’s and fixed on her. Marinette felt a wave of uneasiness as the monster floated toward the three of them.

“Um…” Nino sized the slim onyx monster uneasily, but moved aside when she floated to an increasingly hunched-down Marinette and the fox monster clutching her carapace. Adrien jogged behind her.

“Nathalie,” he called, breathing out. “I said I would—”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I presume?” the monster said, her tone fairly neutral, even as she considered the disguised human facing her. Marinette’s antennae vibrated and she gulped. She took a breath, and nodded a little more resolutely.

The monster watched impassively at the slight change of attitude, then pulled a small card out from her vest.

“Adrien’s father, Gabriel Agreste, has invited you to partake in his lunch with his son at his mansion.” She handed the card to the surprised bug, waiting patiently until she took it before putting her hands behind her back again. “Your family has been informed already. We’ll be expecting you to come with Adrien at noon. Have a good morning.”

With this baffling announcement, the stone monster turned and hovered to her transport. Marinette’s wide eyes kept going from Nathalie to Adrien, who was shaking his head with a sigh.

Then, Nino and Alya exploded.

“Dude, what was _that_?”

“Oh, fluffbun, did I just dream that, or did Adrien’s stone-faced secretary just _invite_ you to have lunch with Adrien?” Alya screeched like she did not know whether to sound happy or scared, then, she pointed at Adrien in accusation. “Oy, Agreste! What the heck is going on with that?”

Adrien winced, then raised his hands up in a calming motion.

“I know. I’m… surprised too. But father heard about Marinette locking us in the bathroom yesterday and…” His beautiful green eyes settled on his bug friend sadly. “I’m so sorry, Marinette. I didn’t want him to single you out.”

Marinette’s mandibles shivered. In other circumstances, she would be buzzing herself crazy at the prospect of eating lunch at Adrien’s home. All the more meeting his father, for all the bad she had heard of him.

But today, in between the Watch, dealing with yesterday’s events, Alya, and Chat… Marinette realized she did not have the energy to be excited either way. With a tired smile, she shook her head.

“No, it’s fine. Your father must’ve been worried a lot for you… It’s normal he wants to know as much about what happened as he can.”

Adrien opened his mouth, but the bell rang before he could answer anything.

“Ah, that’s our cue,” Nino noted, a thumb pointing at the school building. “C’mon, y’all. Let’s go.”

Alya nodded, and followed the turtle monster after squeezing Marinette’s shoulder gently. Marinette waited a bit before following.

She was surprised when she felt Adrien’s hand on her shoulder. She froze at the contact, and met his emerald gaze.

“It’ll be alright, Marinette,” he said, his soft smile uncovering his small canines. “Just… don’t let him… bully you, okay? You didn’t do anything wrong yesterday.”

Butterflies fluttered in her belly at his tone, and her wings buzzed softly. She nodded sharply, clutching her bag to contain her excitement.

“O-okay… um…” She looked down. “Wh-what about you? How’s your leg doing after… um…”

Adrien chuckled, and it was the prettiest sound she had heard all morning.

“I’m fine, Marinette. It was easily healed with a spell.” He released her shoulder and waved forward. “Let’s go.”

She nodded fervently, not trusting her to say anything more that would not plunge her into full embarrassment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this work!
> 
> Next chapter on the 30th.


	32. Parental Struggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and kudoing! Hope you enjoy this!

Lunch time arrived fast, to Marinette’s dismay. She had not forgotten the strange ‘invitation’, yet it had not exactly clicked until Adrien led her to the transport that would lead them both to the home of the famous designer Gabriel Agreste. Also, the monster who was so distressing his son Adrien through being both absent and restrictive. Also, the monster whose family was targeted because he had financed the Hunters.

Also, the monster whose son she endangered yesterday by locking into a bathroom. She had done so to lead the threat away, but he could not know that. And no matter how many times Adrien was smiling at her and making her heart flutter, she could not forget the monster had good reasons to hate her for this.

She looked down at her bag, avoiding Adrien’s gaze. How difficult would it be for her to have a career in fashion if the biggest designer in Syrrup were to blacklist her?

Very.

Yet, this was not the root of her concerns even then.

Once, designing was Marinette’s world. Now, this was part of the background of a much bigger, much dangerous place. A place where she was flying and fighting for peace, truth, and justice. Or so she wished.

She looked back at Adrien when he gently put a hand on her carapace and smiled. She smiled in turn, feeling her heart go faster and relishing in the sensation her crush was giving her. How sad was it that now that she had lived through so much, her feelings for Adrien were the only things which were still giving her such a rush in her everyday life? Her sketchbook forgotten on her desk this morning had been a painful reminder of this.

At least, Alya could be part of her other life now… if Chat ever forgave Ladybug for failing in her secrecy duty.

“Here we are,” Adrien announced softly as the transport parked. After offering Marinette a hand to help her get out, the feline scratched his muzzle. “I, uh… just… let me do most of the talking? It’s not likely he’ll do much listening. Father is a monster who likes to be heard.”

Marinette nodded, wondering once again as Adrien walked forward how messy his relationship with his only living relative truly was. Adrien was secretive about this for a reason, after all. She was certain only Nino had heard the full story from the cat monster.

The secretary monster Nathalie was the one who directed them with a nod and an assured hovering. When Marinette went through the manor’s door, she felt a chill go from the back of her neck. The architecture of the place was different than most monster houses. It was cleanly white and grey, and shaped in a squareness she had only seen in old structures inside the burrow, like the Librarby. The only colors were from the large blue flowers dispatched around the room. There were two large sets of stairs leading to upper levels facing the entry.

And coming down from one of the stairs was a very poised bird-headed monster. Like the house, he was black and grey. Two dark streaks were coming from his beak and covering his eyes before disappearing under the collar of his light grey suit. His eyes were dark and reflecting the light in little beads. If he had wings, he had hidden them, just as he was holding his talons behind his back, scrutinizing the two teens under him.

Marinette recognized him, of course. After all, she had seen his face on magazine covers numerous time.

Adrien nodded curtly.

“Father.”

He opened his mouth to speak again, but Nathalie spoke before he did.

“Mr. Agreste. As requested, Miss Dupain-Cheng is here to attend lunch.”

The bird-headed monster squinted slightly at Marinette, his aura seemingly plowing through Marinette’s nervousness. After a few seconds, he nodded.

“Thank you, Nathalie.” He turned. “Bring them both to the dinner room. I will be joining shortly.”

With those few words, he climbed up the stairs, leaving Marinette both worried and disoriented. Beside her, she heard a soft huff coming out of Adrien’s mouth as he shook his head.

“It’s only one of his power-play move,” he told her in a mutter as Nathalie was leading them to another room. “Don’t let this get to you. For all I know, he won’t even be joining us today.”

Marinette nodded, even if she could not stop worrying about her friend now.

This… none of this felt right. This was not how a father showed his love and affection for his child. Everything was foreign in a way it should not be. And Adrien was not even reacting.

Marinette swallowed. Tikki hugged her soul in comfort. The dinner room was spacious and cold in look, if not in temperature. The large rectangular dinner table was already provided with food of obvious high quality. There were three plates, a singular one at one end, and two other at the other end, close to each other.

Adrien led them to the two plates and politely pulled a chair for Marinette. She gave him a shy smile before sitting down. She glanced nervously at Nathalie as Adrien took the seat close to her. The onyx stone monster made no move to sit down.

She only watched them both impassively. Even her aura was barely noticeable; she could have been a furniture in the room. Behind her, a large painting caught Marinette’s attention. As she took her fork and knife, she gazed at the golden feline monster with a familiar soft smile and stunning green eyes painted there. She was surrounded by Gabriel and Adrien, and they too were smiling.

“My mother,” Adrien supplied, making Marinette flinch. She calmed the buzzing of her wings and he gave her a reassuring smile. “That painting was done two years ago.” He gazed at it, his traits softening. “She was pretty, huh?”

She felt his nostalgia through his aura, and had the sudden urges to wrap her own around it. This would have been definitely been inappropriate, though, so all Marinette did was smile in turn and look down at her plate.

“Yeah… she was stunning.”

“Wasn’t she?” Gabriel’s voice rose from a door under the large paining. The poised bird monster made his entry, his back straight and his pace assured. He glanced at his secretary. “Nathatlie, I need you to take care of rescheduling my two ‘o clock meeting.”

“Right away, sir.”

With a short bow, Nathalie exited the room, leaving the impressive bird monster with the two teens. Marinette made a conscious effort to not hunch down under the raptor gaze of the fashion designer.

“Father!” Adrien straightened up, not bothering to mask his surprise and hope from his tone. “You came!”

“… Naturally,” the bird monster answered, glancing at his son before heading to his seat, facing Adrien, far away from the two of them. “I trust that my son was a good company to you, Miss Dupain-Cheng?”

Stilling the nervous vibrations of her antennas, Marinette nodded with a forced smile.

“Y-yes, Mr. Agreste. Your son is a delight. T-to be with?”

She had not meant to make it sound like a question. She felt herself go faint under the bird’s glare. Until his traits relaxed slightly.

“… I have no doubt.”

Marinette stared. The monster had a beak, but his eyes almost seemed to smile when he answered her. His traits hardened again as he sat down.

“Let us eat fast and well. I won’t tolerate bringing you late to class.”

With this remark, he started eating, prompting Marinette and Adrien to do the same. In the following awkward silence, Marinette kept giving out nervous glances at the head fashion designer. In the magazine covers, Gabriel had an expression that was of soft joy. In person it was clear that those were mostly for the cameras. Gabriel did not transcribe happiness well. And everything she had heard Adrien say about his father was given a new light with this sole encounter.

Marinette felt her stomach constrict even as she was trying to swallow. She knew more than she was supposed to about the monster. She knew of his link with the Hunters, and she knew that he was aware of the invisible presence of humanity within monsterkind.

“When Adrien asked me to see a Jagged Stone concert with his friends, I had to inquire more as to whom it would pertain,” Gabriel suddenly said, wiping his beak clean with a tissue. “Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it involved the class deputy monster who even won a hat design contest I had organized last year. Not every monster my son surrounds himself with has this resume.”

Marinette was torn in between feeling pleased with herself and terrified with waiting for the other shoe to drop. She looked at Adrien for some clue, and saw him stare wide-eyes at his father. Gabriel said nothing more for the entirety of lunch, making the atmosphere grow incredibly uncomfortable. Marinette was done with her food was when the bird monster suddenly stood up.

“I suppose you may be wondering why I invited you here today by now, Miss Dupain-Cheng.” She turned to face him, standing up awkwardly when he spoke again. “In truth, I wanted to thank you for what you did yesterday. Had my son been left to wander with a creature such as an Amalgamate roaming around, I have no doubt that he would have recklessly endangered himself to save you again, like he did the first time when he injured his leg. Your sacrifice was honorable.”

Marinette blinked in surprise. Beside her, Adrien slammed his hands on the table and stood up swiftly.

“Father!”

At his son’s outraged tone, the bird monster barely reacted. He turned his sharp look to the cat monster.

“Adrien, I would like you to fetch Nathalie from my office. There’s been a change in your schedule today. Ask her to tell you about it.”

Something surprisingly dark passed through Adrien’s aura, before it was quickly replaced by a complacent grey. With a closed expression, he nodded.

“Yes, father.”

Adrien moved, putting a light paw on Marinette’s carapace to guide them out. When they walked near Gabriel, the monster put a talon on Marinette’s shoulder, stopping her. Adrien flinched slightly, but did not look back as Marinette was left behind with Gabriel.

“You’ll have to excuse my son’s outburst,” Gabriel said when Adrien had barely left the room. “That boy has a flair for the dramatic.” He sighed and looked up at the portrait. “Just like his mother.”

‘… _In my opinion, the ‘dramatic flair’ is not just from his mom’s side…’_

In spite of her uneasiness, Marinette managed a soft smile. With Tikki’s comment bringing back her old confidence, Marinette straightened up.

“I’m sure he’s trying his best for everyone. It’s obvious he cares a lot for you.”

Gabriel’s raptor gaze softened further. He hummed and closed his eyes.

“It is in his nature to be caring. Again, just like his mother, he’s a model of perfection.” Marinette felt the talon’s grip on her shoulder tighten slightly. His eyes opened again and locked on her. “But, of course, I’m sure one of your kind is more than aware of that.”

Marinette’s heart skipped a beat. Yet, she kept still, trying not to show her growing panic under her smile.

“… I-is that so?”

He nodded with another hum. His grip on her slackened and he let go of her shoulder. She tried to not look too relieved when he started to walk away, hand returned solemnly behind his back.

“It was not hard to figure out what animated you to leave the safety of the bathroom and lock my son inside. Witnesses saw you lead the Amalgamate away. And such thing could only be achieved if you had something that the creature wanted.” He turned his head, his dark eye boring into her. “Like a human soul.”

Her mandibles quivered and she looked down, trying to calm the soft buzzing of her antennas. Gabriel waited a few seconds before speaking again.

“It’s as I said before. I thank you for leading the threat away from my son. It showed your honorable disposition and humbleness. Two qualities which are rare for those of your sort. Few understand the inner importance of monster life within humankind. Too many would have been ready to sacrifice what they consider lesser beings to escape.”

“Monsters aren’t lesser,” she blurted out without thinking, flinching down under his attention right after. “I-I mean… that’s what… I think… s-so…”

“Hmm…”

The bird observed her a little longer before turning around.

“Designing is more than a passing hobby to you, is it not?”

Marinette looked up quizzically at the change of subject before nodding with a hum.

“I-it’s actually a passion of mine? It has been for years.”

“I suspected so. It is made obvious by your lines.” He made a gesture; prompting her to walk forward with him. “I will remember it for later. And I will say this. In spite of your… origins…” His face scrunched after saying the word. “Your presence in Adrien’s entourage is appreciated. As a friend of his.”

“Th-thank you… sir.”

She had noticed the emphasis on ‘friend’ with a heavy heart, but realistically, this was the best outcome of the meeting. Gabriel Agreste, who had financed the Hunters, knew she was a human, and had approved on her presence around his son. In her wildest dreams, never had she imagined those two things to be simultaneously possible.

When they arrived at the door, Nathalie and Adrien were already there. Gabriel stopped.

“I will leave those two in your care, Nathalie,” he said, giving one last neutral look at Marinette. “It was a pleasure speaking with you, Miss Dupain-Cheng.”

She almost hit Adrien when she bowed down.

“S-same with you, sir!”

Gabriel left the room after a nod.

\--

“He didn’t scare you off, did he?”

Marinette shook her head, not looking up at Adrien’s question. The cat monster sighed and looked ahead. Marinette peered through the window of the transport to try and distract herself.

She was glad for Adrien’s concern, but what could she tell him? That his father knew she was a creature of legend who fed on his kind’s dead? That he had warned her away from attempting a relationship with him, all the while praising her talents and allowing a friendship in between her and his son? In spite of his usual protectiveness? She could not see that go well.

She sighed tiredly. Had life always been so complicated? Or was that only for people wearing special earrings with spirits in them? And the issues with Adrien were nothing compared to Hawkmoth’s rising threats, the worries of her parents, Alya’s discoveries and Chat Noir’s curse.

It was like everything that had been carefully crafted around her was slowly falling to pieces. And she had no idea how to mend it all. Or if it was even possible.

Ladybug, hero of justice. The unbreakable monster fighting evil. This too, would break eventually.

‘ _Ladybug is more than an image, Marinette,’_ Tikki commented gently, wrapping her comforting presence around Marinette. ‘ _It’s a part of you. The one who will help those in need, no matter who they are. You may not win at everything, but you should be proud of your wins.’_

Marinette felt a lump in her throat.

Except she was _not_ allowed to lose. Ladybug was not allowed to fail. Failure meant death. Failure meant irrevocable losses… And after her talk with Alya, she knew. Failure also could mean a new war.

If Ladybug became more than an image… More than an ideal…

If Ladybug became ‘Marinette Dupain-Cheng’, everything was done for.

Brigitte’s death would be worse than fruitless.

“Hey…”

She felt the soft pads of Adrien’s paw on her hand. She only noticed then that she was shaking. Her eyes met his, and his aura surrounded her into a warm embrace.

“I don’t know what father said, but whatever it was, don’t let it get to you,” he told her, squishing her hands softly. “I know for a fact that you’re an amazing monster, Marinette. And you don’t need his approval to be so.”

The emerald reflection of his eyes was so beautiful. The purity of his soul never ceased to amaze her. Swallowing, she forced a smile on her lips and nodded.

“I… I’m fine. He was… actually, pretty lenient.”

Adrien’s smile turned into a frown of concern.

“… Are you sure? You’re not… I mean…” His whiskers twitched. “You don’t have to feel like you should soften the blows with me, you know? I know how my father is.”

She blinked in surprise at his insistence, then slowly shook her head.

“No… I mean… it’s fine. He really was not severe. H-he complimented my design, remember?”

Adrien squinted at her a little more before huffing softly and releasing her hand.

“I guess… Yeah. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” He looked away and massaged his arm. “It’s just… very unusual for him to be this polite with my friends… I guess he must’ve really liked you.”

Marinette stared at him after this uncharacteristic attitude. She felt the transport stop, but she made no move for the door. When the gorilla bodyguard opened it, Adrien sighed and shook his head.

“Sorry. We should head out. Class will start out soon.”

Marinette nodded, then slowly got out. She kept on watching after her got out, unsure on what to ask, and how to ask. Adrien thanked his bodyguard before he and Marinette started walking in silence.

They were barely through the gate when Marinette opened her mouth, and Adrien just stopped, his ears flattened. She looked at him in worries.

“Um… A-Adrien? I…”

He mumbled something. She blinked, her antennas straightening.

“Huh?”

“Sorry, never mind.” He shook his head, his muzzle wrinkled. “It’s not… Never mind.”

He started walking and she grabbed his hand, instantly releasing him with a flinch. He stopped again, looking down. She took a breath.

“Adrien…”

“-not my father.”

“… What?”

He turned to look at her, his eyes shining, and his smile strained.

“I found out. A few days ago. When doing the genealogy project. Mother remarried before my birth. She was with someone else before.”

Marinette stared, unable to find anything good to say. Adrien’s smile widened, but there was no mirth in it. He wiped his eyes.

“I’ve had confirmation. I don’t know what to do with this. I don’t even know if I should tell him that I know. Or if I should do anything. H-he’s still… in a way, he’s still my father… isn’t he?”

The waver in his voice prompted her to act. She hugged him, surrounding him with her four arms, clutching tight. He hugged back. And any other day, Marinette would have died of sheer joy from the full contact and her boldness. Today, she merely forced herself to speak up through her tight throat.

“H-he protects you because he cares for you. He cares for you so much. Of course he’s your father.”

The cat monster made a strangled noise and hugged her more tightly. Then, the bell rang. Silently, they released their hold, and headed back to class, with heavy hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks, as always, to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on the 14th of October. I'll do my best to get back on a weekly schedule after that.


	33. New Direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for commenting and kudoing! Hope you enjoy this!

Both Marinette and Adrien had dragged their feet to go to class, mostly to let Adrien the time to regain his composure.

It was why the stairs were deserted when Adrien stopped, ears peaked forward. Before Marinette could ask him what was wrong, he shushed her with a finger, and made her crouch down. Fighting against the heat on her face and the nervous stuttering threatening to come out of her lips, Marinette took a while to register the angry screams.

“Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous! Just who do you think you _are_?”

Chloé’s voice had an agitated buzzing quality to it Marinette never heard before. Her footsteps stomped above, past the stairs Adrien and Marinette were hiding in. Following them were the distinct clicks of talons hitting the floor.

“Now, Chloé… I, uh, understand how you feel about this… but the rules are the rules. This… situation goes beyond the school’s influence-”

“My _father_ didn’t help finance your school budget just so you could prance off with whatever association gives you money, mister Damoclès _sir_ ,” Chloé answered the owl school principal, an audible sneer in her tone. “And _you_ , whoever you are, hand-over Sabrina back!”

“My apologies, miss Bourgeois,” a new feminine voice rose from above, a voice whose familiarity made Marinette freeze up. “But as your principal said, it was her father’s decision that miss Raincomprix would be transferred out of Syrrup, following the increasing attacks.”

“Don’t feed me that line, cat lady,” Chloé hissed back. “Her father is working under _my_ father’s order. He’d never let something like this happen without me being informed first!”

The cat lady, whom Marinette was now certain sounded like Allegra the Hunter, snorted.

“Of course, I was referring to miss Raincomprix’s _second_ father, who expressed worries over his daughter’s messages to him this following month. I’m sure both parents came to the conclusion that their daughter’s safety was better ensured in Treed Luna, and contacted us accordingly.”

‘ _Sabrina sent worrying messages to her dad?’_

At Tikki’s question, Marinett’s fear that the slime girl had told others about Ladybug and Chat Noir’s visits spiked, and she mentally kicked herself for worrying about this over Sabrina’s safety. She felt Adrien’s aura coil around hers to suppress the fear in it from the monsters above their heads.

“Us?” Chloé repeated. “I don’t care who you think you are, but you hold no authority over this town!”

“Miss Bourgeois, please lower your voice,” the owl principal begged, a hint of nervousness in his tone.

“Even if you got past father’s authority, it doesn’t matter,” Chloé continued in a lower tone, “my mother won’t let you take her from m-”

“Audrey Bourgeois agreed to the transfer personally.”

A short silence fell above Marinette and Adrien’s head, before Allegra continued.

“You seem surprised, miss Bourgeois. Were you expecting things to go your way forever? The world is a complicated place. For people of your standing even more. Upholding peace in our society is more important than anything else. Your parents know that as well.”

Chloé choked out something that may have been words. After a few seconds, Marinette heard her run toward the floor’s bathroom. Mister Damoclès audibly sighed.

“I am very sorry about this.”

“That is quite alright,” the feline monster answered back. “Now, let’s get back to your office. I would like to finalize this affair as fast as possible.”

“Certainly.”

Marinette and Adrien waited until the two’s footsteps went away before relaxing their stance. Her antennas slightly trembling, Marinette met the worried gaze of Adrien.

“Did I hear correctly? Did… Sabrina leave the school?”

Marinette’s mandibles quivered and she nodded.

“I… I think so.”

“Just like that? They can come and take someone out?”

 _The Hunters can, apparently_ , Marinette thought to herself, her mind slowly processing what had transpired. Could the Hunters have found out about her and Chat Noir’s visits to Sabrina, and made their move to learn more about the slime girl’s connection with them? Allegra and Emil were the Hunters the most concerned with the two town heroes, according to what they told them, so it could make sense.

… But why taking Sabrina away? They weren’t the Watch, so Marinette was at least certain the slime monster would not be harmed. It was even likely this story about Sabrina’s fathers was the truth, and she was sent to a safe place in the faraway town of Treed Luna.

Did the Hunter take Sabrina away to protect her from Chloé and her servitude? Should Marinette have told the two Hunters about Sabrina’s awful situation and helped? Had she inadvertently delayed a monster’s rescue this way?

‘ _Marinette, don’t beat yourself up for it.’_

She wished she could listen to Tikki’s advice, but Alya’s words from earlier came back to her as well. As she and Adrien walked to class, and took Miss Bustier’s mild scolding for their tardiness, Marinette wondered.

Were Ladybug and Chat Noir in the right for prioritizing their safety over the monsters and humans they were meant to protect?

As she went to her seat next to Alya, her discomfort grew further when she realized something. Chloé and Sabrina were both missing, she knew already, but she had not noticed until now the absence of Nathaniel.

\--

Adrien had asked her to keep silent on what he found out about his parentage with his father. She had no intention of betraying his trust.

As the lessons went on, she wondered what it would be like for her if she learned either of her parents were not her real parents. She then reflected that this would not actually affect her this much. Either way, she knew they loved her unconditionally. Adrien’s father was something else to deal with. Something she could not relate, no matter how much she tried.

But then, it was to be expected. She would never be able to relate fully to her crush. This, she knew from the start.

“So… you and Adrien?” Alya asked when they finally left the school. Marinette looked as the cat monster climbed sullenly back into his transport and sighed.

“I think… I’m getting over it, maybe? I almost died when his father invited me. But now? I don’t know.” She grasped her arms, looking down contemplatively. “I just feel… sad for him. He doesn’t deserve all this with his father.”

Alya looked at her for a moment, then nodded with a hum.

“That’s… yeah, that’s fair.” The fox looked up at the bee monster climbing haughtily into her own car.

Sabrina would have followed her on any other day.

“So, for Sabrina… think things will be alright with her?” Alya asked.

“Positive.” One of the only things Marinette was certain about was that Sabrina was in no danger with Allegra. Hunters never killed monsters.

The question of why they decided to take Sabrina now was more worrying.

As was Nathaniel’s absence.

“I gotta say, though, even after you told me everything, I’m pretty sure Adrien’d be better off with you than with someone like Chloé.”

Marinette snorted.

“Chloé? Yeah, right. Like she would be any better. She…” Marinette’s eyes widened and she caught herself. “Never mind.”

Alya was perceptive enough, however. Her tails rose.

“Wha-are you for real? _Her too_?” She put a hand on her muzzle. “Wait, no… this actually makes too much sense… oh, fluffbun!” Her ears flattened. “How many others are there in our class?”

Marinette winced, cursing herself for letting Chloé’s hidden nature slip, and shook her head.

“I can’t tell you, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t even have given you Chloé-”

“Is _Nino_ one of you?”

“What? No!” Marinette’s mandibles stilled, and her antennas lowered. “Well… I can’t say for sure, but I don’t think so.”

“You can’t recognize each other at all?”

Marinette shook her head. She started to walk off, clutching her bag.

“So long as we’re ‘covered’ we don’t feel any different than normal monsters to each other.” Her mandible quivered before she admitted: “The Hunting Spear TV show has many good tips as to our limitations, in fact.”

“… I see. That explains your dislike for it, huh.” Alya’s eyes widened. “So, wait, hang on. Does this mean the same for what you can do too? Does the show has it correct?” She pointed to her arm. “Like, I’ve seen you take my form, but can you get my memories too? Can you _replace_ monsters?”

Marinette grimaced, displeased with where the discussion was heading.

“I mean, with pure dust of a deceased monster, it’s possible. It’s not done usually. I’ve never done it myself.” She shivered, feeling Tikki’s soft comfort in her mind. “It messes up one’s mind, you know? To have someone else’s memories. The only ones I know who do it as a regular covers are ‘renegades’, they’re illegals who gets taken down by our lawmen if they’re found out.”

“… Fluffbun… this is so creepy.” Alya shivered, her fangs showing as she was taking in this information. “How many are like this? And how long can they keep up the mask? They have to run out of dust eventually, right? You said you need pure dust for that.”

Marinette gave her friend a sympathetic look and shrugged.

“I can’t tell how many renegades live like this. They tend to immigrate by waves, and most of them go live in the Burrows, not hidden this way. And I’m not sure how long; it would depend on their consumption. I know having a reserve lasting for a few years is entirely possible.” She put one of her hands under her muzzle. “But… you know, with mixed dust, it’s perfectly possible to recreate a form you memorized, so I guess if they successfully hid and smuggled illegal dust for themselves, maybe they could last longer.”

“My god…” Alya’s muzzle wrinkled. “You know what this means, girl? You’re telling me they could be everywhere, or everyone. They could replace people we know… My parents? My sisters?”

Marinette squirmed uncomfortably under her gaze.

“Well, consuming dust all the time means depleting your reserve, so in a family like yours, with so many members… it’s unlikely.” She was trying to reassure herself as much as she did her friend here. The truth was that Marinette had no real expertise on this. And now that she was confronted with having to think of it, she had to fight off getting sick herself. “I… if you want… I can do stake-outs for you. To be sure.”

It was weird to suggest spying on her friend’s family to see if they weren’t replaced by dust-eater. But her friend’s safety was a legit concern for Marinette. All the more after the fox’s encounter with the smugglers.

Alya gaped at her, and Marinette instantly regretted her words.

“I… sorry, this is… this was inappropriate-”

“No, no!” Alya shook her head, hands raised. “I get it. I…” She sighed and scratched her head. “Fluffbun… I hate this… this shouldn’t be something I’d ever consider doing… but thanks, really. I know none of this is your fault.”

Marinette hesitantly put a hand on her friend’s shoulder, cursing the fact that she was hesitating in the first place.

“No… don’t thank me for that. I… I want to do this.”

Alya chuckled, giving her an amused smile.

“Now… I can believe it.” She raised the new phone she had bought during lunchtime up and winked. “Ladybug’s a true hero of the people, don’t you agree, Marinette?”

Marinette’s wings softly buzzed.

“I-I’m sure she’s only doing what she must. In the end.”

Sabrina’s face came back to her mind, and she winced.

“Maybe.” Alya looked down at her new phone fondly. “Either way, I trust her, you know that?” She gave her a serious look. “And I’m not the only one, either. Nino and Adrien do too. And I’m sure they’d still do if they were to find out everything about her.”

Marinette’s heart constricted and she looked away, taking sight of the calm street over her friend’s trusting look.

“… Well… I don’t think it’s worth for them to find out either way,” she cautiously answered as the two stopped at a crossroad, letting the transports zoom past.

“… I guess that’s her choice. Though, I’m sure Adrien wouldn’t- Oh fluffbun!”

Alya grasped Marinette’s arm, making her yelp in surprise.

“Wha-huh? Wh-what about Adrien?”

Alya’s eyes were wide when she looked up at Marinette.

“His dad! What if… Oh, my god, this would be crazy, but…”

“Alya…”

“What if his dad is a ‘you-know-what’? What if that’s why he’s always constantly locked up in his room and never sees his son of anyone? What if he’s been _replaced_?”

Marinette felt the blood drain from her face under her disguise. She shook her head slowly, images of the firm-looking raptor-headed monster towering over her flashing in her mind.

“I… no… that’s just…”

That was just crazy.

…But _what if_ …

“How would you know?” Alya insisted, her mind obviously connecting dots as she spoke. “How would anyone know? You said yourself you couldn’t… and I didn’t even know about Chloé! Oh, fluffbun…” Alya gripped her head. “That would explain why he’s been such a butt to his own son too! Adrien’s not his son at all! He’s just a cover for him!”

Marinette flinched at her friend’s words. She had unknowingly hit on something true, albeit in a twisted way. Adrien found out his father was not his own through his own researches, but this had nothing to do with Gabriel being a potential hidden renegade at all. Gabriel Agreste, a human renegade? This would be crazy!

… And yet, if he was not Adrien’s father… if he married his mother after his conception… this would not be as unbelievable… would it?

He would not even need to use pure dust. He had the perfect cover with a son and a deceased wife. Marriage with a monster was more than discouraged, of course. But a renegade might…

Was Adrien a human in disguise? No. Unlikely. He used magic all the time as a model. And he was always solicited. This was not a life for one of her own. But if his adopted father was…

No… she could not conceive something so terrible for him…

‘ _Marinette, calm down,’_ Tikki’s voice rose in her mind. ‘ _Remember what Emil said about Gabriel.’_

Marinette blinked, then raised her fist triumphantly.

“Gabriel finances the Hunters! Of course!”

“What?”

“Sorry,” Marinette said with a chuckle, suddenly feeling very light. “I meant to say that I know Gabriel Agreste isn’t a ‘you-know-what’. He finances the group that opposes them! That’s why Adrien was targeted a few days ago.”

Alya blinked and frowned.

“I mean, him financing a group doesn’t mean he’s not… you know.”

Marinette waved her concern away.

“Trust me, no renegades would be crazy enough to-”

Marinette cut herself short, freezing in place when she caught the sight of the spider monster casually leaning on a wall on the other side of the crossroad, observing them with its many eyes.

“… Marinette?” Alya frowned, then followed her friend’s gaze and noticed the spider monster. “What is it? Who is that?”

Marinette’s mandibles quivered, and she forced a smile.

“Nothing much. Y-you know? We should call each others later. There’s a few things I gotta do at the bakery.”

She let out her worry in her aura for her friend to pick up, hoping for the message to be clear: ‘dust-eater matter. Don’t get close, or interfere.’

Alya was thankfully bright enough. She squeezed her friend’s shoulder.

“Okay. Sure. I get it, girl. I have to get back to my contacts for what we talked about this morning anyway.” She gave her friend a last intense look. “Call you tonight, then?”

Marinette nodded assuredly. With that, Alya walked to the other direction with a wave, and Marinette took a breath. When it was her turn, she crossed the street to join the large spider monster.

“Kid,” the Watcher said when she arrived, her voice now male-sounding.

Marinette nodded in turn.

“Misses Allan.”

The spider laughed with a hiss.

“Just Allan. And use maSSculine pronounSS when I’m out here.”

“O-okay, Allan sir.”

Allan grunted and skittered alongside her. The spider form’s many legs were hitting the ground in a soft rhythm.

“ThingSS haven’t been easy for you kids, huh?” the spider said, looking around. “In between your school being attacked SSo much, and now, Jagged’s conSSert? Plus, your folks told me you’ve had some naSSty encounters with AmalgamateSS and this Chat Noir vigilante outSSide of it?”

“Only once. The Amalgamate. I mean,” Marinette stammered, hoping she did not sound too defensive, looking anywhere but at the spider monster. Allan snickered.

“I see. That suckSS, huh? Getting tangled into thingSS like that.”

Marinette did not know what to think of this display of sympathy. She shrugged.

“I was lucky it wasn’t worse.”

Allan grunted.

“If you want my opinion, ‘luck’ is relative. A true lucky person wouldn’t get into those SSituationSS in the firSSt place, after all.” She cracked her knuckles. “Ah, well. That’SS life, I gueSS.”

Marinette dared a glance at the Watcher. Nothing of the worn woman was visible through the spider disguise.

“What brought you here? I-I mean…” She stammered when she saw the multiple eyes of the spider disguise on her. “T-to this life, I mean… being in the Watch. What made you want to be one of them?”

Allan seemed to consider her a moment, before looking away with a hum.

“You know… it’SS not that easy for me to answer, now that I think of it. Part of it was to escape the Burrows and get a good pay, for sure. It’SS not a job without riSSk, but compared to being a renegade working for SSome aSShole in the dark, it’SS SSecure enough…” Her mandibles quivered. “But… I don’t know. I think part of me wanted to grow up to be a hero when I was a kid. Someone who inSSpireSS, you know? … Or maybe I’m juSSt SSeeing it as that now that I’m older.”

Allan shrugged, but Marinette kept on staring at her in wonder. The Watch had been a source of inspiration when she was young too. The Watch took a lot of hard decisions, but it kept people safe. Both humans and monsters. And it was hard for her to forget it even now that she was playing ‘terrorist’ and ‘vigilante’.

“Kid?” Allan’s voice cut her thoughts off. “ThiSS is gonna be a weird question, and either way you anSSwer it, you’re fine in my book. But what do you think of them? Ladybug and Chat Noir? What’SS your read on them?”

Marinette licked her lips nervously. In spite of what the older woman said, the teenager was convinced she was being carefully observed. She took a moment to craft her answer.

“I… well, I’ve never met Ladybug, and I only saw Chat Noir like… twice-no, three times?” She winced and waved. “B-but nothing much happened, really! He was just doing all that saving stuff he does on TV? He didn’t stay to chat or anything!”

She smiled a little too wide smile, and Allan cocked her head in thought.

“‘That SSo? I got the impreSSion he brought you home yeSSterday night. You didn’t talk at all on the way?”

“I… w-well, a bit, yeah,” she admitted, looking away. “Nothing too consequential, though.”

“… So, you like him, huh.”

“WHA-NO!” she screeched in panic, then, hunching down nervously when she remembered where she was, shaking her head vehemently. “Me? Liking him? Nu-uh! I-I mean, he’s like a terrorist or something? And I’m definitely not into that at all! Not at all! He’s-”

Allan burst into a laugh.

“Haha, I told you it was fine, girl. It’SS okay, I’m not judging.” The spider patted Marinette’s frozen form, then winked with half of her eyes. “I’m aware that he’s a flirt. And he’s got cute featureSS and looks about your age.” She shrugged. “And from what I’m told, he rescued you every time you’ve met. No matter what the adultSS SSay of him, it’SS natural to feel thiSS way.”

Marinette wanted to protest further, but settled on shaking her head. Tikki reasoned in her head that this would be best to leave it at that. Allan getting the wrong impression was better than her learning the truth.

“… You know, thiSS whole thing makeSS me wonder about them,” Allan said, her eyes setting on the orange sky. “They are riSSking the maSSquerade in their own way. And I know what they did. Yet, they SSeem SSinSSere on the videoSS we have of them.” She scratched the back of her head. “I told you about dreamSS of being a hero of the people. I know I’m not the only one. And I wonder if it wasn’t their way of becoming that. Actual heroes. Maybe a miSSguided attempt, overall. But I think I can relate. We all need to find our plaSSe in thiSS world, after all.”

Marinette said nothing in answer. The bakery was in sight when the spider spoke again, in a grave tone.

“ThingSS are moving around down there, in the Burrows. Monster SSchool was canceled for those living underground already. I can’t SSay much, but there will likely be changeSS to many people’SS houSSing. Your parentSS may tell you more. I’m warning you now, SSince Jagged SSeemSS to have taken a liking for you.”

The spider’s many eyes fell on Marinette, sending a chill down her spine.

“Take care of your loved oneSS, kid.”

Marinette nodded, departing from the spiders with polite goodbyes and an uneasy feeling in her chest.

\--

Helping in the bakery was not a necessity, but after the past few days, her parents had given her enough hints that they would like for her to stay close and talk to them. They also said nothing to confirm Allan’s warning to her. And they kept their questioning toward Marinette to a minimum. Like they were scared to alienate her. Marinette was almost certain that was the case.

And the worst part about it was that a part of her felt like _she_ was alienating them herself.

‘ _It can’t be helped,’_ Tikki said softly as Marinette worked on creating the magic paste. ‘ _We both know there are things you do they would not understand…’_

 _Maybe this was a mistake, Tikki,_ Marinette thought back as she touched the dough and separated its magical aura from its physical form. _Maybe Ladybug was a mistake._

‘ _Without Ladybug, so many people would have perished. I know you don’t mean that.’_

Marinette’s nose wrinkled.

_Not like that, no. I mean… maybe ‘Ladybug’ as a concept? Maybe we should’ve tried to ally ourselves with the Watch and the Hunters more. Maybe things would have gone more smoothly, this way._

The way Allan’s warning was formulated... the Hunters’ sudden move on taking Sabrina away from their school, Nathaniel and the other Burrowers now confined underground… coupled with Jagged’s relation with both Watchers and Renegades, it brought something new on the table.

Elias and Gavroche knew things about Hawkmoth. Jagged had been there for their confession. With the Renegades’ testimonies, the Watch had potential leads to close in on Hawkmoth’s new lair. It had to be why they acted now to relocate dust-eaters’ families.

They had warned a surface human family like hers in case whatever they were planning went wrong.

And Ladybug and Chat Noir would be useless to prevent dustshed if any conflicts got out in the open.

‘ _Do you really think either group would have let someone like you or Chat Noir roam around?’_

Marinette hesitated, then picked the magic dough.

_Under their command, they would._

‘ _Do you truly think they would have used us for a better purpose than you do, Marinette?’_

… _I think Emil or Allan would do well with them…_

‘ _And what about someone like who Elias was when he was in the Watch? Or the Hunting Spear Undyne? Do you believe either of them would show restrain with such powers?’_

Marinette’s throat tightened. She massaged the paste methodically. Tikki coiled herself around her soul.

‘ _Things can get overwhelming for you, I know. And I’m not pretending I know everything either. But neither the Watch, nor the Hunters, have the view needed to go beyond the established order. Neither of them would have gone to save Alya from the Burrowed smugglers. Neither of them would have bothered with seeking a way to save the human souls absorbed by the Amalgamates. They call us ‘terrorists’, and that’s because we_ are ‘ _terrorists’ for the established order. An order that will wipe out entire parts of a town for the sake of upholding peace and secrecy.’_

Marinette shivered.

‘… _And you know like I do that the established order is in need of a change. Hopefully for the better. After six thousand years of hidden terror.’_

She bit her lip at Tikki’s words. She knew. And she was also afraid of knowing. Sometimes, she wished she was wrong. Other times, she was scared of being led on to a dark path. Sometimes, she was scared of Plagg and Tikki playing her and Chat for whatever ulterior motives they may have. Like fairies of legends, that were nothing more than humans, unbeknownst to monsters. And then, she was feeling guilty afterward for her thoughts.

‘… _Those are natural fear, Marinette. It’s okay.’_

She wiped her eyes. Because, were they really? She considered Tikki one of her closest friends. Was it normal to have such suspicion about your friend? Was it healthy, even?

‘ _I don’t mind, Marinette.’_

But _she_ minded, she realized. She minded becoming such a person. She minded not trusting her parents anymore, or becoming the enemies of the Watch. She minded Sabrina possibly being involved because of her. She minded her own passivity when she learned of Sabrina’s fate. She minded her best friend thinking of her as a dust-eating creature, even if she was also a hero in her eyes. She minded not being able to help Chat Noir more. She minded that she could not relieve him of his curse. She minded that Adrien was a mess currently and that his father knew what she was, and had warned her off his son. She minded what she was and all the terrible things she participated in by virtue of being what she was. She minded it so, so much.

‘ _Marinette…’_

“Marinette? Sweetie? It’s alright,” Her papa gently took her hand. She let go of the battered paste and wiped her eyes. “Hey. You look exhausted. Why don’t you take a break? I’ll take it from here.”

She nodded, still not looking at his father. She tripped once when she climbed up the stairs.

-

When Alya phoned her, she almost did not answer. But the tone of the fox’s voice was enough to bring Marinette’s mind back to the present.

“Girl! I gotta tell you! About that ‘history project’…”

Marinette instantly straightened

“Already? I mean…” She winced, looking at her trapdoor, “I wasn’t expecting you to be so fast-”

“I’d love to say more, but on the phone, it feels… well…” The fox trailed off. Marinette thought she understood. Alya did speak of how the phone lines could be spied on easily. And now that she knew about dust-eaters, this was a legitimate concern.

“It’s okay, Alya. Let’s wait for school.”

“… Okay. I think I’ll leave my window open tonight, by the way. It’s pretty warm.”

Marinette hummed. It was not a subtle hint, but Alya’s urgent tone was enough to convince her.

“Well, hope you have a good night. Be careful of bugs getting in.”

Alya laughed in relief.

“All good, girl. I know how to take care of them. See ya?”

“See ya.”

As soon as she hung up, Marinette stood up with a sigh.

‘… _You don’t have to accept every calls, Marinette. You need to take time for yourself too.’_

Marinette shook her head.

“Alya was right, wasn’t she? If Hawkmoth could send the Amalgamate at us, he might be on our trail already. Besides…” She frowned. “With the Watch and the Hunters making their moves, if we stay put we may not have the time to act anymore.”

Tikki answered nothing. Marinette checked the time. She was to get down for a family dinner, then patrol with Chat Noir. But if she was to go to Alya, she would have to go out sooner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with this story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


	34. Departure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for kudoing and commenting! Hope you enjoy this!

“Oh, M-Ladybug, thank god.”

“Alya.” Ladybug slid effortlessly into the fox monster’s room, eyeing the door before crossing her arms. “What was so urgent?”

The fox winced and checked her door again, then sat back at her desk.

“I told you the Ladyblog brought me to be in contact with new sources, right? This is one of them,” she said as she typed on her keyboard, bringing up an email window. “He’s a former town employee from Eytoe. And he’s been a big video source for the previous sighting of Chat Noir and Ladybug in this town.” She licked her lips before continuing. “Well, this afternoon, I sent him a text asking if he knew of anything related to a burned down lab called ‘Miraculous’, and he sent me this.” She opened a joined file and displayed it. “Some sort of official document? I found this weird, since you told me the lab was illegal, but given this was supposedly an aesthetic research center, I think this is just the cover story? He gave me the address as well. Apparently, it was never rebuilt, and the town never reinvested in its ground, even if it’s been like, eight years now.”

Ladybug came in closer, checking the files.

“… So they covered as this, huh? That’s… interesting, I guess…”

“Yes, but that’s not why I called you.” Alya scrolled down until a list of names popped up. “Those were all the voluntary testers that were employed by the lab. Look at this. ‘Brigitte Cheng’? Your aunt, right?”

Ladybug’s heart jumped in her chest. Nodding softly, she came in closer.

“Brigitte… was a tester?”

Something weird stirred inside her. Tikki felt strange as well. She knew Brigitte had to be involved somehow… but as a _test subject_ for a laboratory that did experiments on the soul?

What did that mean? What was Plagg hiding?

“Yeah, and from the documentation I have, she was one for years, until the building burned down.” Alya shoved a claw at the screen. “Now, this? Whatever happened there? This has to be the birth of ‘Ladybug’.”

Ladybug nodded.

“I knew Tikki was from it as well. I didn’t know Brigitte… but it makes sense.”

Alya raised a finger up, frowning.

“Here’s my issue with this. If I and a former Eytoe’s employee could find all this with just a name, I wouldn’t put it past Hawkmoth to know as much either. And given his Akumas have been consistently targeting you for so long, he would jump at the occasion to find everything there is to know about you. Including the lab.”

Marinette shook her head.

“He doesn’t know about the Miraculous. Only Plagg did.”

“Are you sure, girl? Because this right here? That’s a huge security issue.”

Ladybug sighed, and massaged her head.

“I… I still trust Plagg and Tikki. They helped us through hell and back.”

“… That’s fair.” Alya nodded, then closed the document. “But trusting someone doesn’t mean blindly following them either, you know? Sometimes, people just don’t know. Heck.” She snorted. “I didn’t know a thing yesterday, until I found out I knew even less. Your enemy is hunting for you. You can’t afford to be behind on anything.”

Ladybug said nothing for a moment. Then, she pulled up one of her compacts, and opened it.

“Can I make a copy of this?”

Alya nodded.

“Of course.”

As the information were transferred into Ladybug’s communicator, Alya gave her a sympathetic look.

“Ladybug, Marinette. No matter what you choose, I’m with you.”

Ladybug looked at her friend in the eyes, and smiled.

“I know. Thanks, Alya.”

A few minutes later, Ladybug sprung out of the window in search for her feline partner.

\--

When she reached him, Chat Noir spoke first, a hand raised.

“Wait. Before everything else… I wanted to say… I’m sorry for yesterday.” He looked down, tail low. Ladybug gave him a look-over and smiled.

“I… that’s okay.”

“It’s not, though.” His intense green eyes set on her. “You could have died. You could have been taken. All because I wasn’t here.”

“But you had your reasons, didn’t you?” She put her hands on her hips. “You did it to keep your identity, I'm guessing?”

“And that was stupid of me.”

“Chat-”

“If you’d gotten hurt, then my identity wouldn’t have mattered anymore!”

She reached for his wrist. He flinched, but relaxed slightly at her touch. Ladybug took a breath.

“Listen. I’m here. I’m okay. I don’t know if things would have gone better if you’d risk your identity for me, but it doesn’t matter now. We’re both here, and your identity is still safe, right?” At his nod, she bit her lips and looked away. “I… well, there’s a lot of things I should tell you. I just… I’m sorry.”

“… What for?” he asked, his tone soft, but wary. Ladybug released his wrist and massaged her arms.

“Well, it’s that… I…” She took another breath. “I exposed my identity to someone yesterday.”

She saw the way his body tensed up.

“… Who?”

“It was Alya. The ladyblogger. I had to do it, otherwise she would have broken the Masquerade, but now…” She shivered and swallowed, looking up at his eyes. “Please, just let me explain everything first, okay?”

Chat Noir was frowning, but he nodded. She told him an abridged version of her fight against Appolar. She told him of the black feline figure and how she tricked the Akuma when it was distracted. His features turned all the more concerned when she explained how she went into the Burrow alone and rescued Alya. She told him about having to reveal her dust-eater status.

When she was finished, Chat Noir did not look happy, but he also seemed deep in his thoughts.

“… So, Alya knows. Pretty much everything? How confident are you that she won’t blurt it out on her blog?”

Ladybug sighed and scratched her neck.

“Pretty confident. I mean, Alya does enjoy being a journalist, but she understands the stakes first-hand. She knows we would risk a war if anything’s revealed. And she trusts Ladybug and Chat Noir even now.”

Chat Noir breathed out and massaged his head.

“The tracker Amalgamates, and this, in the span of a single day… fluffbun…” He looked up with a frown. “And that black cat monster you thought was me? You thought he saw you as well?”

Ladybug bit her lips and crossed her arms.

“That… I can’t confirm that. But it’s possible. I’m wondering if I didn’t catch him going on rooftops before and thought it was you? If so, I’m sorry.”

Chat Noir shivered and switched his stance, searching for Ladybug’s eyes.

“I… I don’t know if there’s any truth to this… but you know how the other Chat Noir wasn’t confirmed as dead? Plagg thought… do you think it could have been him?”

Ladybug frowned. Tikki seemed to fill with hope.

“I can’t say for sure.He did intervene to distract Appolar… but if it’s him, then, why does he keep his distance from us like that?”

Chat frowned and shrugged, his tail swinging.

“I don’t know. Maybe he thinks Plagg and Tikki are compromised, and he doesn’t trust us yet? Plagg says Félix always had a hard time to trust…” His eyes widened and he slapped his front. “Ah, no! I wasn’t supposed to say his name out loud, huh?”

Ladybug chuckled.

“Yeah. If it makes you feel any better, I think I figured this one out for a while now. It’s ‘Félix Cœurl’, right? From the way you reacted to Emil, I figured that was him.”

Chat Noir groaned.

“I suck at keeping things secret. Noted.” He straightened up, a hand on his hip. “Alright, but what now, then? Do we try and contact him?”

Ladybug shrugged, massaging her chin.

“Given how present he has been around us, I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries and contact us himself…” She grimaced. “But I’d like to talk to you and Plagg about the tracking Amalgamate. Félix didn't defeat it. And I don’t know if it succeeded in getting information to Hawkmoth this time around, but the next enemy might. And I still can’t remove your ring.”

Chat looked down at his finger, playing with the metal magically stuck on it.

“… What do you suggest?”

She closed her eyes.

“I… well, I gave Alya some information about the Miraculous lab, and she told me of its location-”

“Absolutely not.”

She opened her eyes again, meeting Chat Noir’s serious gaze.

“… Plagg.”

“I’ve told you already. Nothing good will come from going there.”

“And nothing good will come from staying here and waiting for Hawkmoth to pick us with another tracking Amalgamate,” she answered back, her hands closed into fists. “The Watch and the Hunters are making their move now too, so who knows how long we’ll have until things gets worse? I don’t know what your issue is with the lab, but this is the easiest lead we have right now.”

“And this will lead you nowhere. Everything about it has been destroyed years ago-”

“Tikki is from it. She could-”

“Tikki doesn’t _need_ this-”

“ _Brigitte_ was in there as well!”

She realized too late she had said her aunt’s name out loud, but she was in no mood to feel bad about it. She was still staring at Chat Noir’s luminescent eyes.

“You didn’t tell me, but I know you knew. You knew the previous Ladybug was related to the lab. What are you hiding, Plagg?” She raised her arms. “Was this just a huge experiment to you? Why was she here? It said she was a ‘tester’. A tester for _what_? And what of Tikki? What link do the two have with each other? What of Félix? Why did he attack the lab?” She pointed in accusation. “Chat Noir has the right to know too! We both do! If you don’t want us to go there, then, tell us everything! At this point, any more secrecy will get us killed if Hawkmoth knows more than we do!”

Did Plagg know more of Hawkmoth than he let on? Could the human soul be working for him secretly? Were they just experiments as well?

‘ _Marinette…’_

Ladybug did not relent at Tikki’s plea, her stance was rigid against Chat Noir’s impassible face. For a moment, she saw his feature twitch.

Then, he stumbled. She barely caught him as he loudly caught his breath. After a few seconds, Chat Noir got back on his feet and looked up haggardly.

“… I… he just retreated.” He grimaced and showed his fangs. “That cheese-eating maniac…”

“Retreated?”

“Yeah…” Chat Noir shook his head. “When I asked him to spill everything, he refused. And I… I fought for control.” He shuddered. “He _resisted_.”

Ladybug’s eyes widened, and she massaged her partner’s back. After a few moments, she spoke again.

“… And he left now?”

“He shut himself away.” He looked away painfully. “I don’t want to talk to him right now, anyway.” He turned to her with a determined gaze. “What you said. About visiting the lab? I think we should do it. Whatever we can do to get Tikki’s memory back, we should.” He raised his fist. “The ring… is a liability right now.”

Ladybug observed him for a moment, then nodded resolutely.

 _I’m sorry, Tikki_ , she silently apologized when she felt the earrings’ spirit’s concern with Plagg. _We can’t afford to ignore anymore leads. Not for Chat. And not for Brigitte._

‘… _I understand, Marinette. I don’t like this, but I’m with you.’_

Ladybug smiled slightly as she took flight in direction to the next town, followed closely by her kitty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks to [ArgentDandelion](https://argentdandelion.tumblr.com/) and [Congar](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar/) for their help with the story!
> 
> Next chapter on Monday.


End file.
